《I Only Treat Villains》 Chapter 1 - In the End, I Learned it Rains in Hell Chapter 1 ¨C In the End, I Learned it Rains in Hell It was a night where the light from the moon was dimmer than usual. Knock knock. ¡°Uh¡­no, I don¡¯t want to.¡± There are things in this world that are hard to understand. One of them was the fact that I had been reborn into the world of a novel. However, aren¡¯t you bound to experience something absurd at least once in your life, if you live long enough? The reason I was reborn and that I was able to remember my memories from my previous life was because my life was already very spectacular. So I wasn¡¯t too embarrassed when I remembered the memories of my past life or the contents of the book. It had been a long time already, so I have gotten used to it. Rather, my worries lied in something else. ¡°¡­some crazy bas**** is standing in front of my house again.¡± I, Syrinx Aden, live on the western edge of the Empire¡¯s largest city, Creixos. The back alley was divided into five areas. Among them, this was the street of gambling and auction, which was named the ¡®bottom¡¯ area of the city since the street was located in the back alley of District 1. I¡¯m illegally forging and selling fake jewelry as a living. ¡°Ha¡­¡± However, the Rixos Patrol, the competent Knights of Creixos, did not catch any illegal activity arising in the alley. That was because this place was well hidden between the prosperous empire and the golden city of Creixos. Yeah, the shop is located in a blind spot. I¡¯m an illegal merchant who eat and live well in this dirty back alley. Recently¡ªNo. I¡¯ve had this problem for quite a long time. Bang, bang, bang! ¡°Are you there? Is anyone there?¡± That is because someone keeps bringing other people to the front of my house. That was the guy who got hurt! After coming back from my business trip, I stared at my house from next door. In front of the house, a man who was trying to help someone was knocking on the door like crazy. ¡°Huh? Is anyone there?¡± I hid in the shadows and let out a sigh. I mumbled very quietly. ¡°Crazy! What¡¯s going on? Do you think I¡¯m running a charity in front of my house?¡± I even came early this evening. ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ It was not the first time someone knocked on my house and fell down. If I can go back to when this situation started, then this had all started two years ago. That was the first time I have helped someone and she became the source of all my trouble. <¡­Hello! Sister? Pretty sister? Wake up! Hey!> At that time, someone was lying in front of the house. It was my humanitarian duty to help those in need, so I treated her But the problem was this. My ability. I have such excellent healing powers that I had healed all her injuries even though she was close to dying. And that was how it all started. My main job was to appraise and sell jewelry. Sometimes, I also make counterfeit goods. But I have another ability besides selling jewelry, which is that I can ¡°heal¡± people. Even a simple wound can be fixed. It was from that day on. The number of people coming to my house piled up like Jenga. (T/N: Jenga is a tower block game. Look at the image below) No, did a rumor spread somewhere that this is a hospital or something? From vicious shark loaners to assassins; all the criminals from the back alley of the five districts came here to be healed. As soon as they got better, they were all kicked out. This way, rumors would no longer spread. Fortunately, very few people came. And if they did come, they would come secretly. Even so, this is a nuisance for me. It is more problematic because my main job was not being a healer and healing the injured. Ever since then, I came to dislike something very much. It was the knock-knock sound; the sound of someone knocking at the door. I¡¯m not going to treat customers who don¡¯t pay. I¡¯m not going to! T/N: Here¡¯s a picture of Jenga: Chapter 2 ¡®Has it been three months since the last person?¡¯ I looked at the two men in front of my house from a distance with cold eyes. Someone standing beside me suddenly chuckled. It is Andrew, the owner of the bar next door. ¡°Hey, Syrinx. Is it happening again?¡± I looked at him and said, ¡°I barely got back from my shop. What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Are you making fake jewelry this time too?¡± ¡°Ah. Well, that¡¯s right. How long have you been beside me?¡± ¡°Hey, it seems like you got another visitor again as soon as you came back?¡± Andrew changed the topic and nodded at the two men in front at my house. The man who was knocking on the door now sitting on the floor¡­ with his eyes closed. The man next to him seemed to have passed out. While he was waiting for me to come. Oh, my god. ¡°Who the hell is that guy?¡± I asked Andrew. ¡°Including the previous patients¡­ it should be the fifth time in total?¡± I showed him one of my finger. ¡°¡­¡­maybe that¡¯s the sixth?¡± I nodded. Yes, this was already my sixth patient. My head was already exploding, so I thought I should say something. The owner of the bar, Andrew, kept his voice down as he made fun of me. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really amazing. Why don¡¯t you change your job? You will make a fortune.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense. This pisses me even more,¡± I hissed at him, ceasing my eyebrows in frown. ¡°Why? You should try being healer.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Don¡¯t you know that a healer must have a national certificate to legally heal people?¡± ¡°What are you going to do when you¡¯re stuck in a position like this?¡± ¡°Illegal treatment is a big problem because I¡¯ll receive death penalty if they find out that I¡¯ve been healing people without a certificate.¡± This is an era in which the temple is as powerful as the imperial family. ¡°Moreover, they say if you are targeted by the temple recently, you¡¯ll come out breathless.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna die?¡± ¡°Will it be an easy death? There won¡¯t be any limbs left in the body.¡± It was a time when the power structure was chaotic. There were special forces that existed in the world now. Like magic and alchemy to create new substances. It had the power to destroy in the name of God. Among those who had such abilities, there were some who had the ability to heal people. They were all given the name ¡®the Healer¡¯. And there is: Healer, Wizards, and Alchemists. Priest uses healing powers. Other people who also has the power to healer uses items to aid them, such as spirits, stone, etc. It is a title that encompasses all special talents who can heal. And the temple placed all of this under its jurisdiction. I clicked my tongue and turned my head. ¡°Is it just the temple? Even if I work for Marquis Forsetti, who is close to the temple, it¡¯s still a death penalty.¡± ¡°And I am sure, with my luck, death isn¡¯t far away from me.¡± The healer will definitely make a fortune as long as they can heal people. However, unlike the other high-rewarding professions, the healers had to register in the temple. Or else they would be called illegal healers. In other words, if someone pretends to be a healer, without a license, the main branch will take him away for a good lengthy torture, whether at the temple or to the marquis who has good relationship with the temple. And most of all, I like my current work of appraising and selling goods, even if it¡¯s a dangerous job¡­ This is something I want to do. Andrew, who was still standing beside me, shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well¡­still.¡± Then he smiled with a wink. ¡°You¡¯re going to pick up those guys, right?¡± ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t call it ¡®picking up¡¯.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure about what to do next yet. It¡¯s a good expression for someone to misunderstand. Andrew smirked and turned his back quickly. ¡°Oops, there¡¯s a customer inside. I¡¯m off!¡± Then he disappeared into the bar, and I felt uneasy. ¡®Oh no!¡¯ Andrew¡¯s laughter caused the man who is in front of my house, to turn his head towards me. ¡®Damn it, Andrew!¡¯ I will have to treat these two youngsters. Letting out a sigh, I walked out of the shadows. Chapter 3 The man jumped up before I could even get to the front of the house. ¡°Oh, hello! Are you the owner of the house?¡± The man pointed to my house. Ah, I don¡¯t want to accept it. I was in conflict for a moment, but I sighed while looking at the bloody clothes. ¡°What if I am?¡± ¡°Ah, hello, My name is Noname.¡± The man looked at me and bowed his head. No name. It was a title used in the back alley when you don¡¯t want to reveal your identity. What do you mean, an outright fake name? Yes. ¡°And this, this is the person entrusted by a valuable person.¡± What does this sound like, ¡®This is a service from the table over there¡¯? Besides, he is a valuable person. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ How do you know if you¡¯re talking like this when all the people I¡¯ve treated and saved are valuable? So many questions piled up inside my head. No! I was full of complaints rather than questions. However, the so-called no name fled before I could say anything. ¡°Well, I look forward to your kind cooperation!¡± ¡°Huh? Hey, hey?¡± ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey you! Hey! Hey! Where are you going?!¡± Thanks to that, I knew that there wasn¡¯t an injured person but¡­ ¡°I will look forward to your kind help!¡± Damn it, this is not a nursery! Do you think you can throw a patient like a baby? But it was too late to regret. ¡°Huh damn it. I¡¯m going to kill that guy if I see him again.¡± He must be quite a talented person, given that he disappeared without a trace. What kind of person is that? ¡­.it reminded me of names that I didn¡¯t wish to relate to. I scratched my hair. If I knew I would get caught, I would have held Andrew. Before I knew it, I squatted down at the door and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll just move him or ask for help¡­¡± It was an alley where there were no people at night and it was all dark. That means I¡¯m the only one who will have to move this person¡­. And this man was so big that he covered up all the doors just by laying down. Plus¡­ ¡°¡­¡­.Is it a person or a rag?¡± He was hurt so badly that his white shirt was torn, so I was even able to see his flesh. I opened my eyes wide in shock when I looked at the man¡¯s face with a lantern. I knew him. ¡®Ah, I think I¡¯m used to this guy¡¯s color?¡¯ ¡°¡­What is this..¡± Hey, aren¡¯t you the villain of this book? As soon as I realized, I was overwhelmed by shock as I wanted to leave the alley at high speed and get away from here. ¡®Ah, why does the original character appear like this?¡¯ That¡¯s how my story began in this world. *** The book that I reincarnated in has a rather unique setting. This novel has two parts in total, with different characters in the first and second parts. And the heroine of part one dies relatively early because she is caught in an incident! ¡®What kind of main character did you think dies so early?¡¯ However, the ending was full of climax and heart-stopping action. And then comes the second part. While the first part was a relatively ordinary reverse-harem novel. In Part 2, the protagonist misses her cousin sister, who was also the main character of the first part, and forms a physical relationship by seizing the men who fell in love with her sister one by one¡­. This was rated-18+ novel. ¡®I think it would be a sin to like waste products in my previous life.¡¯ All the male characters in the first and second parts of the novel are either villains or violent rulers. ¡®It¡¯s safe to say that it¡¯s the background of making the heroine die.¡¯ To put it simply, the author wanted to write a novel with some rated 18+ scene, but she also has intention to include a wide worldview, rulers, villains, and shocking and unusual contents. ¡®It¡¯s crazy, really.¡¯ Although the male characters are all bad and crazy, there was also a final boss that existed in this novel. It was Heimdal Wesperego. ¡®The unique thing is this man the only one who doesn¡¯t have a relationship with the main character in part two.¡¯ Chapter 4 The reason for this was also stated by him when he said, ¡®Frey, your death is the only reason for my life. You know?¡¯ This is because this man hated the heroine from part two. The parents of the heroine in the second part kidnapped the villain¡¯s brother and the villain attacked in retaliation, however his brother was killed in the process. And he was sold to a mansion at the slave trafficking center in Creixos where he was subjected to cruel and brutal abuse. ¡®If I need hundreds of thousands of lives to kill you, I¡¯m willing to do so if I need to.¡¯ Like the final boss of any plot, this guy is crazy and very smart. He was the one who bothered the main character ¡®without love¡¯ until the end. And now. The final villain was dragged in front of my house, collapsed and hurt. ¡®What the hell is going on? This is going to be annoying.¡¯ It was still an ambiguous time to say that the second part has started. Originally, the main character of the first part died, and the second part was about to begin. And right now was the intermission time between them. So this villain, who¡¯s not completely strong, could get hurt at any incident right now. ¡®But¡­ why did you come to my house for treatment?¡¯ He was a man who I should never meet in my entire life. ¡®Ugh, this guy is so handsome.¡¯ This man was the son of a once-great power, and the son of a family who fell in a day. It was easy to recognize the cream-colored hair that was bright like that. ¡®To think this guy will be abandoned by someone like some lost packet.¡¯ The ¡®handling¡¯ of this guy in front of me was too much. And I could guess who the ¡®important person¡¯ who told him to throw it away was. The man in front of me was under a bad teacher before he appeared in the second part of the book. Perhaps that bad teacher is behind all this? ¡®This will be troublesome, that teacher a big shot in this area.¡¯ I looked at the man, carefully in the moonlight¡­ His bright hair was stained with blood as if something hard hit him on the temple, behind his head. However, the face beneath the hair was breathtakingly beautiful. The unbuttoned and messy outfit made his perfect appearance feel weird to the onlookers eyes, as if it was something disturbing. ¡®Why does this crazy guy have such a beautiful face?¡¯ It is important to note that the characteristics of this novel are that it gives all characters a completely different personality from their appearance. ¡°Uh, only your face is eye-catching.¡± The personality of this man, who has a sacred appearance like an angel accidentally fallen from heaven, is really¡­ It¡¯s extremely cold, mad and cruel enough to kill people. I hesitated, ¡°Hmm.¡± It was then. The villain opened his eyes. He looked at me with his eyes blinking. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on.¡± The man muttered something at me. ¡®¡­¡­I can¡¯t hear what you talking.¡± I had a cold sweat on my back. What scared me even more was the fact that it was currently night. As far as I know, we should never meet the villain at night. At that moment, the villain held my hand tightly. couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying out loud, ¡°Oh, my..!¡± I wasn¡¯t able to avoid the villain¡¯s hands¡­ I tried to move his hands away. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong with you!?¡± The villain, Heimdal, put his hand on me and raised his eyes, staring at me with a very seductive smile. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± The villain, Heimdahl, pressed on my hand and raised his eyes. Faintly, with a seductive smile. His face is beautiful enough to make me swallow my saliva. Then he fell down again. ¡°Ha¡­.¡± I swept my chest down. My heart was still pounding, as if I was nervous because I knew there would be any death. Then as I turned my eyes, and the quiet alley came into my eyes. ¡®I remember your face, you abandoned me. You bastard.¡¯ I glared at the quiet alley and lowered my head to the fallen villain. ¡®Now, what should we do with this final boss?¡¯ This city is one of the backgrounds of the novel. Also, five dominant powers each ruled over a sector of these alleyways. Chapter 5 Gambling and auctioning, private loans, black magic, illegal alchemy and other illegal weapons, trafficking, and even the assassination guild. Among the five districts, the competition was fierce to take over the entire dark district of the capital. ¡®The lords of the back alleys here were closely related to the male lead in the novel, so were the Great Powers of the empire.¡¯ I¡¯m sure this guy¡¯s got a lot of connections with dangerous people, too. I scratched my cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to move this big body.¡± But I don¡¯t want to wake him up. I soon opened the door and pushed over the villain, Heimdahl, into the house. I thought I should better ignore him like this. ¡°What¡¯s this damn thing about?¡¯ I always feel nauseous whenever I see blood. But I couldn¡¯t just ignore those who are hurt and in need of treatment. This was the real problem. Putting aside useless thoughts, I looked down. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Because of my personality, I had saved many people before him and didn¡¯t want to be prejudiced against him. However, this concern didn¡¯t last long. ¡°He¡¯s a man who won¡¯t care about the person who saves him. He is just a ruthless villain. From my point of view, it would be annoying if the plot deviated from the original novel. But I also don¡¯t want to follow the original plot. Now is the time when the main character of the first part will die. The first part of the novel will end, and soon the second part will begin. ¡®In other words, the main villain, that man, will soon awaken his power and become an unstoppable force. ¡°Hmm.¡± I stroked under my chin. I was not comfortable with this man¡¯s evil temper. He was a person who killed his teacher and took away his power, and had the personality who would forget anyone who crosses his path. ¡®I hope that you will not remember this little help I gave you.¡¯ I know this is just wishful thinking, but I will just move away from this place if the worst comes to worst. Anyway, it was difficult for him to open his eyes like this. After a while, I came out with a big blanket in my arms. ¡®I believe in your strong survival abilities. Let¡¯s hope you survive this cold night, Villain.¡¯ As I said earlier, there¡¯s something weird about this man. You should never meet this guy at ¡®night¡¯! And I had no intention of breaking this rule. . Even if this villain was handsome. Looking at him, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you, but not now. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± ****** The next day. Early in the morning, I opened my eyes at the chirping of birds, holding bread in one hand and juice in the other; I kicked the door open. Only two people entered my view, moving through the back alley; one of them was Han, who sold newspapers. And the other, ¡°Good morning, Syrinx.¡± Andrew waved his hand as he asked, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Why are you up early, cleaning, not your assistant?¡± ¡°Oh, Grant¡¯s hurt.¡± Andrew¡¯s shop moved things around every morning, and the assistant Grant seemed to have been hurt. ¡°So what happened yesterday?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I shook my head. Andrew looked in the direction and said, ¡®Ah The main villain was still lying down at the same spot where I left him last night. It didn¡¯t seem like he had even moved an inch. ¡®That¡¯s not a normal wound.¡¯ However, even though I was worried earlier, now that I have given him the first aid, it should be alright. Andrew, who was staring at the villain Heimdahl, suddenly said. ¡°Well, Syrinx. If I were you, I¡¯d relax and close my shop.¡± I threw a look at him. ¡°No, listen. So what if your treatment is illegal? I think the men who you have saved are big shots in the city; you¡¯ve made your life easier.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you pick out one of the people who you have saved and get married?¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Andrew snickered as he said, ¡°Well, what about that bigshot over there? The guy who fainted last night?¡± I clicked my tongue at Andrew¡¯s laugh. It was filthy, ¡°Tell me what you think.¡± Andrew looked around to see if there was someone else hearing them. After some time, he finally opened his mouth again. ¡°Didn¡¯t you save the head of the assassination guild last time?¡± District 4, the area full of assassination guilds, was not far from my alley. I spoke firmly. ¡°She¡¯s a woman.¡± Chapter 6 ¡°Huh? So, how about the vicious private lender who owns the billion mark on District 2? You saved him too, didn¡¯t you?¡± District 2, the playground of private moneylenders. It is also a place where people go to see the light on the road of death because they can¡¯t pay back their debts. ¡°She was also a woman.¡± ¡°¡­.How about the noble carriage in the front of your house?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Young Lady.¡± She was from a great family. It was said they took someone who came to the auction house in District 1, right? I saw Andrew with a mocking smile. ¡°¡­¡­How about the local knight who is famous for taking bribes?¡± ¡°She¡¯s also a wonderful woman?¡± Although she is a bit embarrassed, she loves solicitation and ignores crimes with a wink. ¡°How about the black wizard from District 3, don¡¯t say¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she is also a woman.¡± District 3. Alchemy and Magic Space. It¡¯s a place where we have a bunch of geeks who use illegal magic. I clapped and laughed as if I could see it. In the sense of asking him to disappear now. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that they all like the opposite sex and love the handsome guy better.¡± ¡°¡­That.¡± ¡°I sometimes have technical interactions with them.¡± ¡°Ah, then¡­¡± ¡°Lastly, I can¡¯t even introduce it to Andrew because they¡¯re picky about the face.¡± Yeah, I¡¯m talking about you. Andrew made a tearful face on the front disc without being able to say anything. ¡°¡­You must be very sorry.¡± Not at all. I shrugged my shoulders. Yeah, well. Andrew scratched his cheek. But I was pretty limited to him. In this alley, Andrew was a man whose personality was close to the top and someone who understood himself well. His voice became cautious when he noticed me. ¡°Well, it might be different this time. All the people before you were great people, right? Look, who knows if a gift will give you a chance to spread your life.¡± ¡°It would be better not to go and talk about it anywhere. If the ¡®great people¡¯ who were healed knew, it would be bad for you, Andrew.¡± ¡°Haha. I know that my neck is precious..¡± While saying that, Andrew looked left and right to see as if he was scared. ¡°So it¡¯s the sixth time to be picked up by you, right?¡± ¡°Why do you keep picking it up from yesterday?¡± I haven¡¯t decided yet. Do you want to be beaten? ¡°Haha, Syrinx. Cheer up, though!¡± When I saw him with a ¡®What cheer up?¡¯ look, Andrew clenched his fist with his cheer up posture. ¡­ Do I want to be cheered up with that fist? ¡°You finally got the first man, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­ Can you be careful with your pronunciation and expression?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a handsome guy, too! You should get married! ¡°Hey!¡± Andrew managed to move Heimdahl inside after being beaten by me. Heimdahl was so big that even if two people heard it was not enough. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so heavy! I¡¯ve never seen anyone bigger and heavier than our shop assistant in my life.¡± ¡°Well, your assistant was a big gangster in the past.¡± ¡°Well, then, our staff knows the guests and the boss as fallen leaves that rolling around! I¡¯m so confident!¡± ¡­ Is that a good thing? I handed over the sandwich to thank him. Andrew was devastated for a while after receiving a sandwich. ¡°That, Syrinx. I¡¯m afraid to say this, but be careful. You know, he¡¯s a man this time.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Andrew, who shared some advice, went back. That¡¯s where the concern ended. In fact, it was an implicit rule not to interfere even if you were concerned because you had your own circumstances. ¡®You never know when it will come to an end.¡¯ That¡¯s why Andrew, the bar¡¯s owner, was loaded next door to me and didn¡¯t talk about things even after learning about things. ¡°Well, what should I do now?¡± In front of me, the fallen villain, Heimdahl, still had his eyes closed. I was worried. It was because I had to take off this man¡¯s clothes for proper treatment. ¡°May I touch you?¡± What if he opens his eyes and thinks I¡¯m a pervert? What if he suddenly pointed a knife at me? That was what I was worried about. Chapter 7 Blink. The man opened his eyes. ¡°Uh..¡± Between his eyelashes, the blue sapphire like eyes appeared, which looked coldly beautiful. His long eyelashes blinked slowly as if to understand his situation. Even the eyes rolling lazily. His gaze trying to catch something without knowing it. ¡°My¡­ My¡­ My glasses¡­¡± Soon the man got up. Then he put his hands on his face. I took the glasses and handed them over to him without hesitation. ¡°Here you are.¡± Andrew took his glasses while moving over to the person before him. ¡°Ah.. T-thank you..¡± The final boss flinched when he saw me.. ¡°Excuse me, but you are..?¡± ¡°The person who saved you.¡± Under his long eyelashes, his beautiful eyes blinked. The blue eyes were so pure and dazzling. ¡®Hmm, they are beautiful.¡¯ I pursed my lips and gave him a big smile. ¡®Tsk, they¡¯re so pretty.¡¯ ¡®There was such a charm in those eyes that I wanted to bite them.¡¯ ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Overall, he had broad shoulders and a solid back. Snow like white skin and an ascetic appearance. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to give you some treatment before we go on with our greeting. Would that be alright?¡± He flinched as my index finger touched his bandage. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Because what I did on your chest is a temporary treatment, it¡¯s dangerous if I leave it anymore. It could get infected.¡± At the words, the man looked at me and looked calm and timid as if he were a rabbit. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± ¡°I found you in front of my house last night. You weren¡¯t alone, but¡­¡± It was then. Heimdall quickly raised his head and grabbed my shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, right?¡± The man¡¯s nice creamy hair was all over the place. It was not bad to see his well-built muscles through his torn shirt. The ascetic atmosphere and gaze-filled worries aren¡¯t too bad either. I decided to give a perfect score to myself. ¡°No, I was so tired yesterday that I left you in front of my house. I¡¯m sorry, but I couldn¡¯t even move your body.¡± I raised my palm. ¡°And it¡¯s hurting me a little.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Heimdahl was surprised and took his hand off my shoulder. He didn¡¯t know what to do next so he just corrected his glasses and apologized, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sorry, can you let me treat you?¡± He nodded slightly when I said he needed treatment before it was too late. ¡°Then take it off.¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± His ears turned blushing red. ¡°Aren¡¯t you wearing something now?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± He nodded his head. Soon the man¡¯s big hand slowly began to undo his shirt¡¯s buttons. Tuk, Tuk. Why does the sound of the button coming off sound so strange? Am I normal to like it? ¡®Well, no, don¡¯t think about it any more.¡¯ Heimdahl¡¯s hand stopped just when the last button was left. ¡°Well, by the way, I really didn¡¯t do anything last night?¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t. Why do you keep asking this?¡± I knew the reason very well, but I got off my nerves. ¡°¡­that¡¯s¡­ ¡° Heimdahl blushed. And I was at a loss what to do. If it was because of embarrassment, this side was close to shame. ¡°I¡­ I get very, very strange at night.¡± This man was so beautiful that his beauty stuck out of his glasses. His nickname among readers is ¡®Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.¡¯ It had similar characteristics like the main character in a literary work. The double personality. At night, he changed his personality and became a wicked, cruel, and cynical villain unlike in the day. (Note: Jekyll and Hyde means one having a two-sided personality one side of which is good(Jekyll) and the other evil(Hyde). Referenced from the novel ¡®Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde¡¯ by Robert Louis Stevenson, here the MC has two personalities, good at day and evil during night.) Chapter 8 ¡®I did try to not get involved.¡¯ ¡°Really? Oh, and raise your arms, please.¡± The gap between Heimdahl¡¯s face and mine decreased. ¡°Excuse me, but¡­ aren¡¯t you a bit too close?¡± For me, this was a normal distance so I wasn¡¯t bothered by it, but he seemed to have a different opinion. ¡°Is there a problem with a doctor and a patient being in close proximity?¡± His face, which had been watching me, reddened slightly. Was it just obvious because of his snowy complexion? Interestingly, the redness stained his white skin and made his blue veins stand out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I felt uncomfortable there, for a moment¡­¡± Yeah, it makes me want to hear what kind of disturbing things are going on in there. My eyes were drawn to the pretty ones hidden behind his glasses. They shone like sapphires. I wished they weren¡¯t hidden behind these lenses. And they weren¡¯t just pretty, but mysterious as well. So it didn¡¯t suit him at all when he blinked innocently. I remember a line from the book, saying that he was obsessively ascetic, almost like a priest. ¡®In the future, this man¡¯s image will change completely, but he¡¯s not there yet.¡¯ And it was best to avoid this man at night as much as possible. Like I said, his personality can change dramatically. I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with some mad villain. ¡°Hey, I¡¯d like to ask you a favor.¡± Heimdahl flinched noticeably when I turned to speak to him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can I touch you?¡± ¡°E-eh? I don¡¯t think I heard you properly!¡¯ ¡°My powers can only cure you when they touch your skin. I¡¯d like to ask for your understanding in advance.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Only then did the man nod, covering his face in embarrassment. Why¡¯d he start turning red when I haven¡¯t even touched him yet? He looked way too embarrassed. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not used to women, so please be patient with me.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± With permission finally being granted, I gently placed my hand on the pale man¡¯s body. Heimdahl flinched the moment my hand touched his abs, his muscles trembling. I lightly passed my hand over the wound. As it was, the white skin seemed to be made like a marble statue. Each of the individual muscles could be named and clearly felt. ¡®Wow¡­ He has a great body.¡¯ I resisted the urge to touch the same area multiple times. Although it was at an angle that Heimdall couldn¡¯t see it, there was a small white gem in my palm. As I concentrated with my eyes down, a white light soon flowed from the bottom of my hand. ¡°This will sting a little.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡± I grinned, ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to cry.¡± ¡°¡­ Please don¡¯t make fun of me.¡± Though I said it in a playful way, he looked a bit dumbfounded. Soon, his face flushed under his eyes. Light flowed into the wound. After a few repetitions, Heimdahl had no wounds left on his body. To clean it up and leave no wounds behind. That was my ability. ¡°A-are you a healer¡­?¡± ¡°No. I do it illegally.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to not say anything to anyone. If you do, I¡¯ll probably be killed.¡± I smiled and opened my hand. ¡°You know the temple¡¯s special law?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. I know about it.¡± People of this country can¡¯t stay in the dark about that kind of stuff. ¡°It¡¯s a world where you can¡¯t treat things carelessly without qualifications.¡± A small pearl rolled out of my hand. When I first held it, it was about two fingers large. It is now 1/3 of that size, and the color is muddy. Of course, it has been built with a ¡®spell¡¯. ¡°You know that impersonating a healer can result in death, right?¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°The temple is most sensitive to the impersonation of a healer, only second after heathens. You know what? Both of them are punished by death row! Burned or hanging, that¡¯s the difference.¡± I didn¡¯t lose my smile and slit my neck with my fingers. ¡°Dying is quite painful.¡± Yeah, if you accuse me, I¡¯ll kill you. ¡°And rumors say¡­ They cut out their tongues.¡± Even your tongue will get a death penalty! Chapter 9 Usually, in fantasy worlds, a priest is the healer, but the priest here is a little different. Most of them are fighters, specialized in catching and punishing heresy. Only a few of them were healers and therapists, like those so well-known in fantasy. The temple was established to attract those with different curative abilities and to then name them as ¡°healers.¡± Therefore, the temples and shrines here are more for the purpose of training the sacred knights who fight heresy. ¡°The temple¡­? You mean the ¡®Church of Discipline¡¯? I know the harshness of the place well. I have no intention of accusing someone who saved my life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I hope you will protect me, then.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Church of Discipline is the only temple in name. This is because they dismissed all other temples as heretics and pushed them away. ¡°But can¡¯t we go to the Knights of Forsetti Marquis and report it?¡± The Church of Discipline and the Marquis of Forsetti. The power of the temple. They are a family of young marquis who took power by joining hands with the temple. And this marquis is Esir Yuvan Forsetti, the Empire¡¯s No. 1 knight and hero. He was also one of the main male characters in the book. In the first part, he was obsessed like a crazy person as the main character¡¯s friend. When she died, he moved on to her cousin, the main character in part two. He¡¯s just a crazy guy. Heimdahl nodded firmly. ¡°Of course he is. Although the Marquis of Forsetti, Esir Yuvan Forsetti, is a hero, I know how merciless they are to heresy.¡± It is heresy to believe in another god. The biggest form of heresy is impersonating a healer. My fingertips began to tremble, perhaps because I¡¯d used my ability for such a long time. I hid my hands behind my back and tried to think about something else with my head. ¡®It means that organizations that save people around the world or here are very powerful.¡¯ The main character in the first part gained great healing powers when she died, and this fact made the men even hotter. But it wasn¡¯t very good for an illegal healer like me. ¡®I draw healing power from jewelry.¡¯ In particular, the ¡®healing method¡¯ I use is considered to be unique in the world. There aren¡¯t any people like me who used jewels or gems to heal, but they were less than healing wizards or priests known as popular healers. And they¡¯d treat me like a heretic. Besides, I hadn¡¯t reported it in the first place. I would get a heavier punishment if I was caught now. ¡®The temple treats extraordinary curative powers, other than magic, alchemy, and dexterity, particularly cruelly.¡¯ But there¡¯s another reason why I¡¯m so complacent. No matter how powerful they are, it is inconvenient to search the back alley of Creixos. I was confident in myself before the rumor broke and the pursuers came in. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s all about self-confidence.¡¯ ¡°Now, it¡¯s done.¡± I neatly removed my hand from the man¡¯s body. Heimdahl quickly buttoned his shirt up. It was a bit disappointing to see the white shirt buttoned up again. ¡°Then go away. No, I mean, you can go.¡± Heimdahl did not say anything for a moment, whether he was embarrassed by the sudden call or not. That blank expression erased his adult-like impression. ¡°The reward¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need one.¡± ¡°T-then, I¡¯ll be¡­¡± ¡°You can do it now.¡± The terms of my retribution were the principle of giving at no cost. In other words, I would rather be satisfied that I helped someone than get to eat a piece of bread. I know that the moment I get paid, one by one, more will come. When there¡¯s one, even more will follow. And I hate to be bothered. I feel like I¡¯ve had enough these days, when patients are already in front of my house. ¡°Good-bye then.¡± I smiled and waved my hand, relieved. I close the door cheerfully. *** I hoped his relationship with me would end there. Don¡¯t tell me that we¡¯ll meet again? I really didn¡¯t expect to see you again in just a few days. A few days later, Heimdahl came back to me, this time with a fine mind and body; he was dressed up in a flashy suit, too. ¡®Ugh, too late.¡¯ It was quite dark. Chapter 10 Unfortunately, I¡¯d been on a lot of business trips lately. Because it ran so long that day, I arrived home later than usual. ¡°Anyway, all the aristocrats have gone this way together.¡± Sometimes I have to leave my house for a while to access outside technology. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what you¡¯re saying, even though I¡¯ve been making it big out there. Hah¡­ And like the night, daily life in this area was not as smooth as I sometimes wish. It was too late¡­ When I came back home, I was not happy to see unwelcome guests waiting for me. ¡°Oh, Syrinx.¡± I squinted at the man approaching me. ¡°Hah, XXXX.¡± The man moved and spat. ¡°I was so bored waiting for you. I heard you¡¯ve been making some money lately.¡± A wide forehead and a large, wide nose. A thin body, with fistfuls of muscles all over. That young catfish-like man looked very familiar. ¡°Why¡¯re you so quiet? Are you really that excited to see him? Hm?¡± Although I¡¯ve been fortunate enough to meet quite a few friendly people in this back alley, there are still some who harbor a great deal of spite against me. Standing in the middle of the throng was called ¡°Thorce¡±, who was known for leading the second strongest group of assassins in the entire ¡®assassination zone.¡¯ ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything, huh? Is it easy to play around like that?¡± ©¤He hated me like crazy. The reason was simple enough. When I first met him, he tried to forcefully hit on me and was utterly rejected. He looked at me like a tiger staring at his prey, with his eyes chasing after me as I moved. ¡°Or do you hit on any man with that pretty face? How disgusting.¡± ¡°How cheap.¡± It wasn¡¯t looking very good. It was a dark evening. It was Friday, too. I knew the knight who usually patrolled this area. During spring, that knight would go to the bar on Friday evenings. There was one person I could trust, and it just had to be the day that they left early. ¡®Oh well.¡¯ I narrowed my eyes as I subtly touched the jewels in my pocket. ¡®I don¡¯t want to get any closer.¡¯ ¡°Oh. If by any chance, you¡¯re still waiting for your own people to come and help, you¡¯d better not. I know they¡¯re all gone today.¡± ¡°That hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind. Besides¡­¡± I grinned. Even if something did go wrong, I¡¯d still say what I had to say, ¡°I had a feeling that you were a cruel, filthy man who¡¯d aim for a day like today.¡± No matter how tough he looked, he¡¯d always look for another chance. What a punk. I looked around for an opportunity, before glancing back again. He would have to wait for a day to come and reveal himself as a cockroach. ¡°Oh, no. Are you that childish, or are you just an idiot?¡± In one twitch, his face became a distorted mess. ¡®I knew you¡¯d be this upset.¡¯ He was too emotional and too hot-tempered to belong to an assassination group. Do I really have to spell it out? He¡¯s the type that would never last long in a back alley like this. ¡°I know what a XXXX like you is thinking! You have to go through the trouble of ruining your pretty face, and play all nice! You think you can do anything you want just like that, huh?¡± ¡°Calm down. Why are you so upset all of the sudden? Oh, there was also something about height too, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re shorter than me, aren¡¯t you?¡±¡± He flinched. ¡°Or are you so stupid you didn¡¯t even notice?¡± ¡°This XXXX!¡± At that moment, Thorce came up and reached out to try to strangle me. Thorce¡¯s hand broke in front of my eyes. Crash. I turned my head away, startled at the sound of blood. I was about to fall back to my last resort, but rather than do that, I gulped and stared at the face before me. ¡°¡­Tsk. I was wondering what you were up to on such a filthy street.¡± He was a man dressed in a tightly-buttoned shirt with a cravat. His strong chest stood out in particular. ¡°Who are you? Why don¡¯t you just get lost?¡± He knocked down the short, yet muscular, Thorce, then snapped his hand like a twig. Whing. As if it were butter, the dagger in the man¡¯s hand bent easily. The blade grazed the back of Thorce¡¯s hand when it fell. ¡°Ugh!¡± The man stepped on Thorce¡¯s back to weigh him down. That way the man was able to control him and prevent him from escaping. Thorce struggled wildly, flailing and pounding at the floor like crazy. ¡°Geez, let go! Damn it, Ack! You-! Wh-who are you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Chapter 11 The man slowly swept his hair to the side. He was wearing a mask of absolute apathy, even as blood seeped around him, beneath his feet. Creamy hair that reminds you of a string of silver and pearls. I swallowed my breath, seeing such a familiar face. The beautiful colored hair, which seemed like pure silver in the blue moonlight, now looked like it belonged to a maniac. ¡°Look, Miss.¡° The man looked at me and tugged at the cravat. ¡°Hello?¡± His hair in a mess, the man took off his glasses and held them in his mouth. Tak. The folding of the glasses was especially loud. ¡°I think you know why I¡¯ve come to this dirty alley, Miss.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know me, don¡¯t you?¡± The man slowly pulled the dagger out. He quickly approached me. Soon there was a pair of dangerously bright red eyes in front of me. His eyes curled when he smiled. It was a frighteningly fierce, dizzying smile. ¡°Tell me, and I¡¯ll spare you.¡± Instead of clear, pure blue gems, these eyes are filled with red void, violence. Heimdahl, the villain in madness. It was a picture of this night. ¡®¡­This is dangerous.¡¯ Quietly, my eyes skim over the scene. Heimdahl had a short dagger in his hand. Was there anything to stab other than Thorce? The trajectory of the sword spinning in the hand was unusual. I looked at it and lifted it up. ¡°My patience is wearing thin.¡± His eyes were like a knife. Eyes that are more likely to pierce more than boomerang swords*. (*Swords that return to the owner¡¯s hand even if thrown, dropped, lodged in something, etc.) He didn¡¯t show a trace of innocence from his day version. I had certainly noticed that this man was a completely different person by night. What should we do now? This man at night was a villain, imbued only with cruelty and revenge. This man, who only wanted the death of the heroine in part two¡­ His eyes, so small that his angelic appearance seemed unreal, were following my every move. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s pleasant expression fell. ¡°That¡¯s a long silence. You¡¯d better not do anything stupid. I can feel everything.¡± Just like the smart man he is, he seemed to recognize my expression by briefly looking at me. I was well aware of his abilities, but experiencing them in person was entirely different. What should I do now? There was still a small jewel in my pocket. I could make room by clenching my fist inside my pocket. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know me¡­ But I can¡¯t seem to remember it clearly¡­¡± Should I use it? As I was thinking about my last hope, a sharp sound rang out. Heimdahl quickly spun around. Clang! The dagger he was holding hit something. Clang! Heimdahl¡¯s hit struck something to the ground. He turned around. It was another dagger. ¡°Crazy bastard, damn it!¡± Thorce, probably the one who threw the dagger, managed to stand with a tattered breath. When Heimdahl stepped on his back a little while ago, he looked like in pain. ¡°Haha, hah¡­ Damn it.¡± Next to Thorce were his men standing in support. ¡°How dare you humiliate me now? I won¡¯t forget this grudge!¡± Thorce¡¯s eyes, engulfed in deep blue anger, bored into a single person. And I could feel Thorce¡¯s gaze. Yep, it was on me. I was dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°Hey, are you talking to me?¡± ¡°Who else? Damn it. You were going to seduce the bastard and pay him to assassinate people, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡­ He hurt you, so why are you cursing me? Thorce¡¯s burning eyes were only directed at me though. I couldn¡¯t be mistaken. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ Well, I can only see something in his eyes.¡± This is such an unreasonable person. I slightly frowned. Somebody should tell Thorce that I don¡¯t care much about his anger. ¡°You wait and see! You think you¡¯re gonna be fine with the blessing of the shadow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who hit you.¡± I crossed my arms and tilted my head. He was a man who tried to turn a blind eye to me from the beginning and was scolded. ¡°I knew very well that you had no morals. From the moment you opened a jewelry shop right next to my store a month ago.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Chapter 12 ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s no morality in this area.¡± I understand that our relationship was not good because it started out badly, but it was hard to bear this kind of truth. ¡°Just don¡¯t touch me.¡± I chose my words carefully even if I was right anyway. ¡°You¡¯re ugly.¡± I am an aestheticist. In other words, I love and care for all beauties, exclusively. I¡¯m not obsessed with looks, but I believe in condemnation for humans with foul personalities only, and I believe that personality is reflected on their face. ¡°Hey, are you really that slow?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Your subordinates are making a fuss. Your face is terrible.¡± Heimdahl was handsome, so I treated him. But this guy is out of my jurisdiction. ¡°Huh, let go, let go! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°C-Captain. You have to stop. It¡¯s time for Black Night to come out!¡± ¡°Urgh¡ª¡± When I heard the name, I smiled bitterly. Black Night, that¡¯s the sister who takes care of me. The first sister I saved. I waved my hand like I was fanning the firehouse. ¡°Yeah. Go ahead. Don¡¯t mind the blood.¡± ¡°¡­You!!!¡± ¡°Or would you like to have a hard time with my ¡®support¡¯ that you¡¯re so afraid of?¡± This time again. When I added, Thorce, who was looking at me, flinched. ¡°¡­ Tsk. Don¡¯t think that your arrogant behaviour will be tolerated forever! I¡¯ll cut up that pretty face of yours and sell it to District 5!¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s possible before I die.¡± Soon Thorce turned his back, dropping a killing look. However, because of Heimdahl, his hands were in so much pain that he could not use his arms and had to be supported by his subordinates. It was just me and Heimdahl left in the back alley when Thorce was dragged away. Heimdahl, who had been silent all along, slowly turned his head. ¡°Miss,¡± The dagger swung from his hand. It was an acrobatic performance close to a stunt. ¡°You were pretty cool.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s gentle voice rang out like the calm before a fierce storm. The dark back alley was still empty when I glanced over. Even if anyone was available, they wouldn¡¯t have heard the scream and come out. That¡¯s just how it was around here. ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t know what was going on here, but what¡¯s your relationship with that guy?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s like trying not to dwell on an unpleasant first meeting but it failed?¡± By then, I was an established illegal jeweler, but it hadn¡¯t always been such smooth sailing. When I first settled in the back alleys of this city, there were a lot of annoying flies that tried to approach my business. Thorce was one of the more aggressive people. ¡°He tried to swindle you but failed, huh?¡± ¡°In short, I suppose.¡± Chills ran down my spine, but I continued to speak calmly. The reason I couldn¡¯t relax was because Heimdahl did not lower the sword at all. It was too close to my neck. ¡®I guess you don¡¯t remember waking up from when we first met.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t know that I stepped on his hand. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Although he wasn¡¯t a perfect villain yet, he still seemed to be quite independent. I knew very well that the guy in front of me was a dangerous man who¡¯d wield his sword first, and only ask questions later; unfazed. ¡°How lovely. I¡¯m afraid to say I¡¯ll be putting myself in a similar position, then.¡± ¡°¡­ A similar position?¡± Heimdahl took a step closer. Too sudden. Startled, I stepped back, but he narrowed the distance just as quickly. ¡°Why are you trying to run away? I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Heimdahl towered over me. As he leaned over, I could feel his breath on my ear. ¡°¡­ What is it you want to discuss?¡± I was nervous in this sort of uncomfortable position; it was too different from the kind of tension I was accustomed to. ¡°If you try to swindle me and fail¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It will be very painful.¡± He murmured in that low, threatening voice. The tension, which made me break out in a cold sweat, was heightened by his sword. It seemed to say, ¡®If you make a mistake, I will behead you.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk. I wonder why you seem so familiar with me.¡± There was no warmth in his playful whisper. No. It seemed to hold a hint of madness. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m living in hiding right now, so where did I meet someone like you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I want to hear what you know about me.¡± There wasn¡¯t much of a choice when there¡¯s a sword pressed against your neck. ****** Chapter 13 ¡°You saved my life?¡± My house was quite small. The living space is almost entirely on the second floor, and most of the first floor was taken up by the illegal jewelry store. This left very little free space on the first floor. I was with Heimdahl in the space where he was treated during the day again. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Heimdahl stared at me with an intrigued expression. His buttons were untidy and his face was half-covered with his messy hair. It was as if a beautiful, profligate saint had jumped out of a painting. Yes, that would be him. I can¡¯t believe a face can be this messy yet still so attractive. I was nearly gawking. However, I had only treated him because the wound was so bad. ¡®Is it okay to treat people like this?¡¯ I looked down at my tightly bound hands. Heimdahl had done this as soon as he entered my house. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s fun to do stupid things. But he was a meticulous person. He could have been careless around me. After listening to everything I had to say, Heimdahl rubbed his chin. He tilted his head languidly. ¡°Ah. For some reason, he said I was fine even after attacking that guy. Was that your doing?¡± That guy was the one who taught Heimdahl the means and methods to be strong. He would eventually be the teacher who¡¯d have his power stolen from him and is killed by Heimdahl. Maybe he¡¯s the ¡®important guy¡¯ who tossed this man at my door. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you. You¡¯re the one who did this, right?¡± ¡°Oh, because I¡¯m the kind of person who can heal people.¡± In the book, Heimdahl also visited him, which was where he learned the skills necessary to become a full-fledged villain. As I had predicted, this was the period before he became a fully-fledged villain. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve told you everything, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s safe to untie me?¡± After a moment I spoke up again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for the treatment.¡± Heimdahl looked at me lightly, casually shrugging off my request. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid? Even though you¡¯re all tied up?¡± I shrugged calmly. It¡¯s no surprise that this kind of thing happened, especially with your being personality like that. My lips, which had been closed tightly, parted. ¡°It¡¯s not a once-in-a-lifetime situation here. Everyone is used to it unless they paid someone to protect them for a day or two. Kidnapping, extortion, violence, and¡­¡± My hands were starting to hurt now. Are you really not going to untie me? Heimdahl stared at me for a moment, seeming to ponder at the insinuation. ¡°You must see this kind of thing regularly.¡± The corners of Heimdahl¡¯s mouth curved up imperceptibly. Soon the smile faded, and he rose from his seat. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re confident you won¡¯t die right now?¡± He walked over and plopped down on his knees right in front of me. I could catch a glimpse of his solid build in the gaps between the buttons. How can he look this seductive just by not wearing glasses? His face was suddenly much closer. ¡°Miss.¡± To be honest, it was a ridiculous situation. The female knight I¡¯d met by chance in the back alley knew me, so I¡¯d been shoved away straight off the bat and tied up. However, I knew that this man should not be lumped with any old run-of-the-mill villain. More than anything, this man was not someone who did crazy things without a plan. It was a key piece of information that he was remarkably smart, whether it was day or night. So he shouldn¡¯t have been in front of my house. He must have decided that there was a reason he had been moved. This was the only thing I could be sure of. ¡°I opened my eyes and found a strange address on my desk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m very curious right now.¡± When he switched, Heimdahl could not remember his alter ego. Day to night, night to day. So they were always very attentive to changes when they opened their eyes. Especially at night, Heimdahl was obsessed with pursuing the unknown. This was a disaster for me. I wasn¡¯t home all day. The day side of Heimdahl must have gone back. Knowing that, you shouldn¡¯t be the one to meet me. Chapter 14 Anyway, did he stay in front of my house? This must have been night-Heimdahl¡¯s judgment. At least there was a clue when he came back to my house. When his night-side, the villain, saw this, he was filled with anger. ¡®What is this side of you interested in here?¡¯ A moment ago, he could have killed Thorce, but he only stabbed him once with a knife. Then he watched the situation play out. In other words, he was observing. The more I thought about it, the more I became aware of the goosebumps that began to crawl across my skin. ¡®What¡¯s the point of putting on this kind of show if he¡¯s not going to kill me?¡¯ As I was thinking, Heimdahl stretched out his arm. ¡°What are you doing? H-hold on!¡± He held a knife over his outstretched arm before I could say anything. My eyes widened. ¡°Miss, if you really are an illegal healer, you¡¯ll treat this as well.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s eyes seemed to be asking for me to confirm it while he talked. I wondered why I had to prove it at this moment. ¡®You crazy villain!¡¯ Well, I guess it all worked out. Because I had a plan. I bit my lips tightly, clasping and then opening my hand. ¡°My abilities are expensive.¡± ¡°I knew it was too generous an offer. But what about ¡®me¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a ¡®no¡¯ to the current you.¡± ¡°Oh, did I tell you that much during the day?¡±* ¡°I heard you get weird at night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the answer I was looking for.¡± I held Heimdahl¡¯s hand in my tightly bound ones. My fingertips hovered over the wound. I hated blood. Humans who suffer are cast aside and those who deliberately hurt others are the worst. Nevertheless, Heimdahl turned all the disgust around with just the atmosphere and appearance. Would it be strange to say that scarlet blood looks good against creamy flesh, or is that creepy? After a moment, a faint white light rose from my hand. By the time the light faded, his wound had disappeared as well. ¡°Wow. This is real. What do we do now?¡± Whatever you do, just leave me alone and go away. I thought to myself, but said nothing. ¡°I apologize if I surprised you, Miss.¡± Heimdahl smiled. It was a nice smile, but I didn¡¯t think he would actually let his guard down. ¡°But, interesting. You¡¯re the first person who¡¯s been threatened this much and hadn¡¯t resisted.¡± ¡°Then you haven¡¯t seen the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard someone say something that ridiculous.¡± An unusual red light stirred within the depths of his eyes. ¡°When I think about it, it¡¯s the first time that no one is left standing. What do you think, Miss?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I slowly opened my mouth. ¡°If you wanted to kill me, you¡¯d have already done it. You don¡¯t seem to be the type to hesitate.¡± The corners of his lips pulled up. ¡°If you want to kill someone you¡¯d let them lower their guard first. This isn¡¯t an exception, you¡¯re just not out to kill, right?¡± At that moment, a strange expression passed over Heimdal¡¯s face. But it was already too late. Thud! Heimdahl¡¯s body was thrown back. He hit the wall hard, upper body immediately curling upwards. He shouted before throwing the dagger: ¡°¡¸Si¨¦ntate¡¹!¡± Thwink! Heimdahl froze as if restrained by an invisible force. The dagger fell from Heimdahl¡¯s hand and clattered to the floor. The rope fell to the floor as well. It was the other end of the rope that bound me. I picked up the dagger that had fallen beside my feet and waved it at him. ¡°This situation has turned against you, huh?¡± I deliberately spoke up to rile him up. Heimdahl slowly lifted his head. You can do whatever you want with your head, but you won¡¯t be able to do anything else. I won¡¯t allow it. ¡°Did I surprise you? I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be apologizing, though.¡± The colorful jewel, the one that blew Heimdahl away, floated next me. ¡°You should¡¯ve behaved properly.¡± Sorry, but he¡¯s someone you can talk to without trust first. I added, staring into his eyes. Just like he did moments before. ¡°¡­ What did you do to me?¡± I easily spilled the truth. The secret was already out, anyway. Chapter 15 ¡°I can cast a few spells, though they¡¯re limited to the people I¡¯ve treated. That way they can¡¯t harm me. I¡¯ve got to keep a few people I can trust by my side, right?¡± Even knowing about the spell doesn¡¯t mean you can do anything about it. It¡¯s irreversible once it has taken its effect. ¡°It¡¯s a simple magic trick that only affects the opposite sex, so I was in a bind before. Luckily, my first male patient came along. That would be you.¡± I found myself eyeing his creamy hair. It was so luscious that it might actually fetch a high price if I sold it. I wondered if a melted down pure pearl would look like this. I muttered internally, It¡¯s just admiration. I¡¯m just a little impressed. I easily tied up Heimdahl¡¯s arms and legs. The spell made it easier since he couldn¡¯t resist the spell no matter how hard he tried. With him all tied up and unable to fight back, I got up from my seat, now in a much better mood. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t feel wronged. I¡¯m just repaying your treatment.¡± ¡°¡­ What are you going to do to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll release you.¡± Obviously, I¡¯d do it during the day. If I tried to let him go at night, no one would see the end of his bloodbath. ¡°Some people just won¡¯t stop disturbing the ecosystem. How about¡­ Ah, but I don¡¯t want to have to deal with it.¡± I smiled and turned away from him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go. Now go.¡± ¡°¡­ You think you can afford to let me leave? If I come back, you¡¯ll be in danger again.¡± ¡°That spell, it will do whatever I want. Maybe you should stay for a month?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve got to give me some kind of reaction. It¡¯s no fun if you don¡¯t.¡± And to think it would have been useless if I¡¯d treated Heimdahl¡¯s day-side. Of course, I hadn¡¯t planted this spell on him during the day. I¡¯d done it when Heimdahl first showed up in tatters that night and asked me to heal him. ¡°It is fun.¡± Heimdahl laughed out loud. A good-looking man can do anything. It was so beautiful it felt like my soul had just been knocked out of me. ¡°I don¡¯t forget my grudges, Miss.¡± ¡°¡°That¡¯s strange. Weren¡¯t you the one who brought this onto yourself in the first place?¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m a selfish human being.¡± His eyes glistened dangerously. ¡°I should hope your magic continues to work.¡± I responded calmly to his harsh words. ¡°No matter what, my neck is precious. Feel free to try to break out of there, though.¡± I¡¯m sure he¡¯s trying his best. After a while, he finally tried to examine his hands and feet. Honestly, I want to rip the buttons off that pretty, messy shirt. But I think I would be indulging my self-interest too much. ¡°Hey, Miss.¡± I was about to get up when Heimdahl called out to me. ¡°Just now, when you trapped me, what did you say the incantation was?¡± Every spell in this world needed an incantation. In other words, the moment I say the incantation, that spell is casted. ¡°Ah, Si¨¦ntate? That one, right? It means ¡®Sit down.¡¯¡± I replied lightly. ¡°¡­¡± I dusted my leg as I stood and turned on my heel without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°Good night, puppy.¡± That expression of his was absolutely priceless. I ignored it and went to the second floor to sleep. ¡®How satisfying.¡¯ I could finally fall asleep, content. ***** The next morning: Yawning and brushing my hair, I headed down to the first floor and faced Heimdahl, who was sitting in the same position as last night. He looked just like he did last night, but with his eyes closed. He seemed to have worn himself out after struggling all night long, and looked quite relaxed. He slowly opened his eyes at the sound of my footsteps. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± He blinked at me in surprise. Then he looked at his bound arms with a puzzled expression. But it took less than two seconds for the face to fade. ¡°G-Glasses¡­ Glasses¡­¡± ¡°Here.¡± I picked up his fallen glasses and slipped them onto him. He looked relieved, like a lost child who had finally found his parents. I released Heimdahl¡¯s hand. Chapter 16 ¡°At night, I, uh¡­ I did something weird, didn¡¯t I?¡± He rubbed his hand over the abrasions left by the ropes. He then nodded to see me with a curious face. ¡°You did do something.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Like what¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­ You wanna try to attack me again?¡± His eyes widened as soon as I threw in a joke. He suddenly seemed to be shocked, like a big abandoned dog. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Um, well, I¡­¡± His large hand couldn¡¯t help but wrap around mine and squeezed it tight. I wasn¡¯t sure what to do. I didn¡¯t know why he looked so scared. Big, heavy teardrops started to fall from the man¡¯s eyes. ¡­ No, why are you crying? His face was the definition of purity. Innocent, but evoking a sense of completeness, as if it were something that shouldn¡¯t be looked at carelessly. His fluttering eyes completely captured me. ¡°The benefactor¡­.¡± His tears fell thick, like waves, forming a stream that ran over his perfect cheeks. Soon, his eyes were burning, as if it was morning dew glistening atop flower petals. His face was worn out and filled with sorrow. Trembling, he parted his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± ¡­ What? When I looked at him, my face seemed to ask: ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ I felt the sincerity in his eyes, it was shaking like a bird in rain. ¡°At all costs, let me take responsibility.¡± ¡°How do you plan on doing that?¡± I was just asking a genuine question, but the man¡¯s neck flared a bright red. Wow. I think he might explode. ¡°Uh, um¡­ marriag-¡± ¡°OK, that¡¯s quite enough.¡± Then Heimdahl stared at me, looking shocked. He was crying like a man who¡¯d just lost the last of his fortune. Why do you look like you¡¯ve just been rejected? ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Really, I was just kidding.¡± I squatted down in front of the man and tilted his head to the side as if it was my own chin. His night-side was indeed a bad guy, despite his looks. The man¡¯s eyes were full of tears and beneath the glasses they shone like blue jewels in the sea. I didn¡¯t hate this pure atmosphere. Seeing his trembling eyes, I couldn¡¯t even joke around, although I¡¯d wanted to. ¡°A little while ago¡­ you said I attacked you¡­¡± ¡°No way. I meant it as a joke. I was kidding. Just kidding.¡± I was willing to correct myself at this point. Wow. This is the same person as last night, right? Even though I already knew what to expect, it still felt strange. I was watching his expression as I continued thinking. Should I wipe that tear away or not? I really wanted to wipe it away. Of course, I was only thinking about it. ¡®If you touch it, I¡¯ll tell you to take responsibility.¡¯ Heimdahl briefly brushed his confused face, and then carefully asked: ¡°Then may I ask why I was tied up¡­?¡± ¡°You were threatening me.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s gaze changed a little. Until a moment ago, his eyes were filled with tears like a child, but now he¡¯s stopped crying, revealing his deep blue eyes. Soon, his face morphed from sadness to a mix of calm and serious. Eventually, there was even a twinge of anger. He tilted his gaze and it became more serious. ¡°How did you make it out? Are you hurt?¡± Heimdahl¡¯s face eventually went back to slightly red. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t hurt. You were using a dagger.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°I have a talent for not getting hurt.¡± There were three types of surprising residents in the back streets of Creixos. These were women, children, and the elderly. In particular, if they were living well here, you shouldn¡¯t touch them. Yet it¡¯s another way how I¡¯ve been surviving and protecting myself. Bragging wasn¡¯t my intention, though. Why did I mention that small skill of mine? The way Heimdahl looked at me seemed to have changed. He was cautious a while ago and it seemed like he didn¡¯t know what to do. Even now, his attitude was still the same, but his aura was different. ¡°Um, do you happen to be¡­?¡± He bit his lips before dropping the subject. I looked at the shape of his lips. Its stunning red shade contrasted with his white skin very nicely. ¡°Can you help me out just once?¡± Chapter 17 Heimdahl spoke quickly, before I even got the chance to ask about the favor. ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit shameless, but I have nowhere to stay¡­ I do have a sense of duty, though. I¡¯ll do anything if you help me. After that, I¡¯ll let you use me as you see fit.¡± ¡°Hey. Before that, you need to calm down.¡± I waved my hand in front of his face. ¡®Wow, his day-side is completely different. It was amazing to see him embarrassed. Even though he was wearing a desperate pout, his face still looked amazing¡­ It was difficult to get over his beauty. I was pretty sure I could fall in love with Heimdahl even if I didn¡¯t look at it. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it first, whatever it is.¡± Of course, being handsome is the best. I slowly lowered my hand and opened my lips. ¡°But I¡¯m a cautious person. Don¡¯t try to rope me into anything other than healing. I don¡¯t want to get involved with you any more than I already am.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± This was like driving a nail into the coffin before Heimdahl said what he had to say. The man seemed to be embarrassed for a moment, but soon his expression was filled with determination. ¡°That¡¯s fine. That¡¯s what I want¡­¡± ¡°You want?¡± ¡°I mean, to be treated¡­.¡± I nodded and said ¡°Ah.¡± By that he seemed to mean something like when he was brought in front of my house drenched in blood. ¡°Someone hunted you down and ordered you to be brought here. Do you know who it is?¡± ¡°Yes. Maybe the person who was taking care of me.¡± Due to the circumstances, he explained that it was difficult to get people from outside to heal him. He even tried to tell me his name, but I quickly refused. It was still too early. ¡®Nothing good will come out of being involved with him.¡¯ I¡¯m curious, but it¡¯s better not to listen. I don¡¯t want to get away with digging around. ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°Yes? About what?¡± ¡°Huh? Is what ¡®that bad¡¯?¡± Heimdahl hesitated for a moment and bowed his head slightly. Heimdahl hesitated for a moment and lowered his head slightly. I didn¡¯t really have a reason to help him. Because he was so much taller, it was easier to see his face. ¡°¡­I, uh¡­ am I that terrible?¡± ¡°Are you talking about your looks?¡± ¡°More like¡­ the reason you said you don¡¯t want to get involved with me¡­¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit sad¡­ but I¡¯m not as bad as you think I am!¡± The man was stuttering, his previously white cheeks were now as bright red as a poppy. ¡°In many ways, I¡¯m not actually a bad person!¡± My my, there was no reason for him to force himself, especially if it was going to get him this flustered. ¡­ It¡¯s like we¡¯re talking about completely different things. I haven¡¯t really bothered to mention it, but this big guy was actually kind of cute. ¡°I am¡­ I know it doesn¡¯t look good when I say it like this, but I¡­ I can¡¯t remember anything I do during the night. And the other way around.¡± Heimdahl said it with his eyes squeezed shut. I stared intently at the creamy eyelashes as they trembled in trepidation. I blinked my eyes, pretending to be surprised. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s certainly what it looks like.¡± I was well aware of that fact, but reacted as if I had no idea. I wondered why he was telling me this. It¡¯s as if you can tell how curious I am about it. ¡°And I¡¯m planning something at night, for some reason. I don¡¯t know what it is or why, but I can¡¯t stop it¡ª¡± ¡°Is it related to your rough condition, back when you first showed up here?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± (Heimdahl) So, you¡¯ll keep getting hurt and throwing yourself in front of my house. You mean to say something like that. Looking at his expression, that¡¯s exactly what he meant. And? ¡°I want to say I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Heimdahl moved his head, in tears, saying, ¡®I don¡¯t know why I was abandoned here.¡¯ ¡°If I¡¯m abandoned here again in the future, can I ask you to treat me¡ª? I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. Anything¡ª¡± ¡°You should never say things like that.¡± Chapter 18 ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I raised my hand. ¡°Never. Ever. Say something like that.¡± My fingertips stopped at his shirt. ¡°The most dangerous thing in the back alley is the tongue.¡± ¡°What do you mea¡ª¡± Perhaps because he was tied up last night and thrashing all over, but his shirt was stretched, open and revealing his skin. As if he¡¯d just realized this, Heimdahl¡¯s cheeks suddenly changed color. That red matched his glasses very well. ¡°You never know who or what they¡¯re going to want, and you can¡¯t possibly predict a step ahead of them, so you shouldn¡¯t say that. What if someone suddenly asks for something special?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°For example, let¡¯s say I want your body.¡± My fingertips circled around his chest. They stopped above his heart. ¡°What if I ask for your life?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Will you pay me back with your body?¡± His face turned so red it looked like it might explode after a moment of thought. ¡°Um, that, how¡­ Oh! Do you want labor? I¡¯m good at physical work!¡± ¡°Does it really look like I need that?¡± He covered his face with the back of his hand. Of course, it was meant to be half-teasing on my part. However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that this back alley was the kind of place where all sorts of bad things could happen. The crime that Heimdahl was imagining could also be happening somewhere here. ¡®Although I¡¯m sure they¡¯re working in even more obscure places.¡¯ ¡°A lot of bad things happen every day around here.¡± I added mischievously. In fact, since he was a man with such ridiculous beauty, he was most likely to be sold as a slave. Of course, this man was not a man who would be easily controlled. What if he turned the slave market upside down, transforming it into a sea of fire? ¡®I don¡¯t know, but given the potential of this man, he deserves it.¡¯ Furthermore, this man, who already had first-hand experience of the slave trade as a child, later decimated the area. He was the one who was going to burn all the slave traders alive in an event that would be triggered in three years. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Let¡¯s stop teasing him. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± I finally obliged. The man peaked out from behind his hands and raised his head. The eyes behind the glasses are shiny like the morning sun. Cute! He¡¯s like one of those fluffy brown puppies. ¡°That means¡ª¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll only treat you if someone drops you off in front of my house like last time, okay?¡± Since there can be loopholes in these kinds of rules, if you don¡¯t specify. Although I treated whoever ended up in front of my house, on the side, I had a much more important goal. I was looking for a very special jewel. Apart from this, selling jewelry and treating the injured were just pastimes. ¡°Miss?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± In large part, Heimdahl was part of those side. That was why I liked the chaotic streets in this back alley. My existence and all my actions stay hidden this way. And all criminals have similar minds. Additionally, when the main character comes on-stage, the movement of extras like me is bound to be overlooked. In fact that¡¯s why, subconsciously, I was more satisfied with the bigger the people I saved. ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s nothing, it just seemed like you agreed too easily. I was a little surprised. I wasn¡¯t sure how I could convince you.¡± (Heimdahl) He calmly raised his head as he organized his thoughts. I caught his gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to agree so quickly. It didn¡¯t seem like you enjoyed the treatment process¡ª¡± Looks like he had a lot to say, huh? He¡¯s a quick-witted person. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like blood much at all. If you¡¯re curious about the reason, just think of it as a wide-ranging resource.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why did I tell you that? It¡¯s because your face is screaming how curious you are.¡± Fortunately, treating this man does not mean that the narrative has to be changed. ¡®We haven¡¯t even started part two yet.¡¯ The case set for treating him a few times will not change anything. Moreover, Heimdahl doesn¡¯t know anything about himself yet. Sooner or later, when realizes his abilities, he¡¯ll be able to heal himself. Chapter 19 One of his special abilities was self-recovery. So basically, I¡¯ll be his first aid kit for a while, until he figures out how to do it on his own. Besides, this man will go through a terrible event soon, and it¡¯ll be so huge that he¡¯ll forget the small favor he made to an illegal jewel-dealer and become the final boss. After reviewing it to my satisfaction, I noticed Heimdal lowering his head, his cheeks reddening. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. I don¡¯t work for free.¡± I laughed and tapped the floor. ¡°What makes you think it wouldn¡¯t cost you something?¡± Heimdahl¡¯s eyes opened wide, like a rabbit. ¡°Oh¡­ I see! So what do you want?¡± ¡°What can you do for me?¡± I asked with a smile, and Heimdahl touched his glasses as if he was thinking. The answer came out before long. It was more of an appeal than an answer. ¡°So, I¡¯m¡­ Ah! I can use my head pretty well.¡± That¡¯s what I thought. You¡¯re just about the most clever person in this novel, right? He used those skills to craft up all sorts of schemes to bully the heroine in part two. Heimdal began listing thing after thing. ¡°I-I have pretty good looks, too.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I can also cook¡ª¡± That was kind of tempting. ¡°A-and I have a lot of money!¡± Too much, I¡¯m convinced. It¡¯s a condition that makes me want to continue the story. ¡®He¡¯s handsome, good at cooking and rich.¡¯ Of course, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m lacking anything, it¡¯s just automatically appealing. That beauty works so hard. ¡°Oh no. I have a lot of money, too.¡± But to put it bluntly, it was not an interesting requirement. First of all, I have enough pocket money because I make it illegally. My ability is to use my strength through jewelry. Both attack spells and healing abilities come from jewelry. I basically had all the skills, as well as an eye for jewelry. To be exact, I can easily see the power and quality of jewelry, and have the hands necessary to produce detailed fakes. It¡¯s not about jewelry and sales. ¡®Or the fakes, either.¡¯ Of course, the jewelry I need to write my order is more special than ordinary jewelry. Although I learned how to evaluate a jewel in order to live. ¡°There¡¯s no need for a cook, because I¡¯m eating everything next door.¡± Andrew, who runs a bar next door, was good at cooking. His store menus, which were bars and cheap restaurants during the day, were delicious. ¡°About your brain, I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s comparable to the best ruses of the main villain in the book. ¡°Appearance¡ª¡± Isn¡¯t something I can eat. I covered my mouth and thought about it for a while, but Heimdahl spoke first. ¡°How about accounting?¡± ¡°Accounting?¡± ¡°Yeah, why don¡¯t I organize it for you?¡± Heimdahl looked around the room. ¡°That paper.¡± He pointed to a paper I had stuck to the reading board on a nearby wall. I hadn¡¯t finished the equations from a few days ago, because of the exhausting business trips, so I just kept them near the flowers, right? ¡°You¡¯d better fix the numbers a little.¡± His bespectacled eyes narrowed for a second, but quickly returned to normal. ¡°The units are different in the middle, so the multiplication is wrong. The difference is 9097. And it would be better to do such a calculation vertically than horizontally.¡± Heimdahl said, looking at me over the rim of his glasses. I blinked. ¡°You can see that?¡± ¡°I have good eyesight.¡± ¡°Then why bother with glasses¡­? No, nevermind.¡± He didn¡¯t wear glasses because of his poor eyesight, by the way. I got goosebumps again. ¡®Your physical abilities are no joke, are they?¡¯ I grabbed the paper and stared at it. An 11-digit calculation was scribbled on iit. It trailed off after a certain point due to the headache I¡¯d gotten after listing the numbers, in an attempt to ascertain the size of the back alley market. ¡®You paid for this at all once?¡¯ He opened his mouth as if to say more. Our eyes met, and I nodded, granting unspoken permission. ¡°I don¡¯t want to jump to conclusions, but you were looking at the flow of the market, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How can you be sure of that?¡± ¡°I can tell by looking at the size of the numbers and items. I¡¯m good at organizing things quickly in my head.¡± His words gave me a wild idea. Was what I wrote that messed up? He asked himself a question and immediately accepted it. Well, it¡¯s a mess because I wrote it roughly. ¡°I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ve done it all the time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no record.¡± (Syrinx) He¡¯s serious about this. To put it simply, he wants to work as an accountant secretary. Chapter 20 ¡°Isn¡¯t this necessary for store management? You¡¯re dealing with precious metals, so the differences aren¡¯t small.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A small amount of precious metal doesn¡¯t make it less valuable.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true.¡± To be honest, I wasn¡¯t the type to organize my books properly. While running my own store, I often received money and kept it roughly scrawled out. It was not a wise way of working. This kind of operation only worked because my jewelry business depended entirely on my eyes. All small traders live like this, though. If you get caught right away, what are you going to do? ¡°Thank you for the advice, but is it really necessary? What I do isn¡¯t legal anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to report it to my benefactor.¡± Somehow, the blue eyes under the glasses seemed to shine calmly. Almost like a dog begging for praise. So it would be nice if it just ended there. He slightly stained his ascetic and neat face. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m good.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I-I can do it at any time.¡± ¡­ My imagination will run wild if you say it like that, with those eyes. ¡°Honest, I¡¯m really good at this. It¡¯s true.¡± I shrugged carelessly. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter either way.¡¯ If the ¡°VIP¡± dragged him back out, I¡¯d see him again. What power would the sociopath have at this rate? However, I don¡¯t want to have a long relationship with this man. ¡°Then do as you please.¡± (Syrinx) Like I said, I¡¯m a person who can fly if the pot gets too hot around here. A light price for being a little nosy. Of course, it was a warning that he didn¡¯t have to actually pay for it, but he did not intend to stop coming and slogging through it. That¡¯s how I got my first regular patient. < Syrinx, I¡¯m telling you to just be a healer. You won¡¯t get caught! You won¡¯t! > I remembered Andrew¡¯s words, and that I would rather sell fake jewelry than be a healer, but I shook my head inside. There¡¯s something I really need to find and I¡¯m just doing this because I¡¯m busy. ¡°By the way, what are you going to do at night?¡± It¡¯s an important thing. I don¡¯t care how it sounded, I really didn¡¯t want to run into him if I could avoid it. ¡°What if he comes to see me, instead of you?¡± Don¡¯t you get an answer just by thinking about the way you pushed the sword first? ¡°I¡¯d like to not worry about a dagger in my back every night.¡± Heimdahl nodded. ¡°You can knock out me.¡± ¡°How?¡± After much consideration, he took a serious approach. ¡°¡­hit me with a frying pan or the like¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Does it really not matter?¡± He nodded gravely. Rather, he gave me some more advice. He told me to hit him before the dagger hit me. I thought the edges would be good. ¡­But isn¡¯t it still his body? ¡°You can handle that kind of thing without my permission.¡± Looking at his intelligent eyes, I nodded slowly. Well then, if that¡¯s the case¡­ Well, it¡¯s not exactly what I want to do. But at least I don¡¯t have to face the cruel villain and madness from the original novel. ¡°Alright!¡± He promised to be careful. ***** Right¡­ At least that¡¯s what I thought. ¡°¡ªI¡¯ve seen this pattern somewhere.¡± Did this man want to give me a fresh twist? Expectations for getting betrayed? ¡°The ¡®VIP¡¯ is not creative.¡± I groaned, staring at Heimdahl, who was rolling around on the floor. ¡°Why do they have to look like the same person?¡± It was a dark night. Heimdahl was covered in blood again this time. He was staring at me instead of fainting like last time. Moreover, he was breathing hard into the ground. I squatted in front of him and leaned my chin on his knee. ¡°You weren¡¯t dragged today?¡± ¡°Ha, that sneer, you¡¯d better quit right now, miss.¡± He must have noticed that I raised my words on purpose to scratch my insides. I grinned. This man was beaten by his teacher and abandoned in front of my house. ¡°Why? Huh? What¡¯s bothering you, child?¡± ¡°The way you talk¡­ It bothers me.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s hand scratched at the floor. I groaned, unable to say much else. Chapter 21 ¡®Oh my.¡¯ The blood-soaked scene gave off a somewhat strange atmosphere. I slowly looked over his body as I sat. ¡®Huh. His whole body¡¯s been ravished.¡¯ I feel the twitching man¡¯s eyes on me. Of course, he couldn¡¯t reach me even if he stretched. He thinks his life is precious. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°During the day, you said you should be knocked out.¡± ¡°¡­ that¡¯s bullshit, miss.¡± (Heimdahl) From Heimdahl, rage mixed into a rasp burst forth. ¡°What do you mean bullshit? He strongly recommended hitting you with a frying pan.¡± Heimdahl laughed as he sucked in a haggard breath. ¡°Are you serious?¡± However, his eyes exuded a ferocious look as if he would not stand still if I did nothing. ¡®It¡¯s the eyes that saying if I did it you will die and I will die.¡¯ To be honest, I was originally going to punch Heimdahl to make him faint. Even if he was caught in a spell that kept him from hurting me, I wasn¡¯t going to overlook the dangers of the night-villain Heimdahl. ¡®There was something he said during the day.¡¯ The problem was that Heimdahl was unexpectedly badly injured today. ¡°Hey, you. I don¡¯t know if I know your condition, but it¡¯s good to be alive, right?¡± To put it simply, he¡¯s been hurt so badly that he can hardly breath. If this is his state¡­ It becomes difficult to leave the injuries unattended with only temporary treatments. This means it¡¯ll be difficult to wait until daytime. It was that serious. ¡°How do I get this kind of wound when I just get hit by something?¡± (Heimdahl) I frowned and tapped my foot. ¡°Deep cuts in your skin, stab wounds, burns? You have way too many injuries. There¡¯s not an inch of you left unharmed.¡± (Syrinx) It¡¯s amazing that the eyes were left in this situation. The previous wounds weren¡¯t anything to sneeze at either, but I didn¡¯t expect him to return in an even worse state. I knew the villain in this book had suffered and gained huge amounts of power in the process, but I didn¡¯t realize he was suffering this much. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you¡¯re still so alert after this kind of beating.¡± ¡°Miss.¡± Heimdahl, who was silent for a moment, stared at me. His bloodstained lips opened. ¡°At times like this, I think the term ¡®fight¡¯ applies, rather than ¡®beaten up.¡¯¡± I paused for a moment. A cold sweat soaked his back, but his expression did not falter. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s such a mess. Logical reasoning, don¡¯t you know?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think I ever said I was beaten up.¡± ¡°If you get hurt like this, most people would think so.¡± ¡°No. I think most people would ask me where I got stabbed. Isn¡¯t this a cut?¡± (Heimdahl) Right. Heimdahl¡¯s most striking wounds were a cut and a stab wound. ¡°If you look at my true nature, you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m not just a human being who¡¯s going to fit in the situation.¡± (Heimdahl) It¡¯s not like you¡¯re trying to catch the unimportant thing. I clicked my tongue. ¡°Your day side already told me.¡± ¡°During the day, I only guess what I¡¯m doing, but I don¡¯t know exactly what happened.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°¡­¡± Damn it. He¡¯s really smart. ¡°Do you know something else about me?¡± ¡°¡­ Who knows.¡± ¡°Miss, you look quite caught off guard.¡­¡± Heimdahl turned his crazy eyes towards me. ¡°That¡¯s charming.¡± (Heimdahl) The words were not compliments, proof being in the cruel tone they were delivered in. ¡°Did you get caught?¡± (Heimdahl) He even forced to support himself with his arms, which he seemed to think he could move. He was like a beast ready to bite at any moment. ¡°¡­ Okay, don¡¯t stare at me. I¡¯m scared to death.¡± ¡°With that face?¡± Hungry and wounded animals are more dangerous than ordinary animals. Heimdahl was just like this. Honestly, I know it¡¯s dangerous to leave him like this, but I didn¡¯t dare to even touch him. I understood that he is actually still pretty dangerous. He is powerless at the moment because he hasn¡¯t amassed all his future power yet, and it is a time when there are many people after him. Chapter 22 Well, I understand that he¡¯s not an easy-to-be top villain. Even so, he was too full of energy. ¡®Look at him being spiteful to the one who¡¯s gonna cure him.¡¯ I¡¯ve only met you a few times, but I know you want to snap my neck already. ¡°I¡¯ve only met you twice up to this point.¡± ¡°Have you?¡± ¡°I can tell just by looking at your face how much you despise me.¡± Heimdahl laughed out loud at my words. However, he did not release me from his gaze. What did I do? I felt angry because it was ridiculous. Laughter gradually disappeared from his face. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hey?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You.¡± His voice has gone down a bit. ¡°I saved you last time, you know?¡± A faint light came out of the jewel. His face was lifted up by force, and he bit his lip. ¡°You think it¡¯s easy to heal this kind of thing? It feels dirty.¡± ¡°You wis¡ª¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°As someone who has only survived because of me, you have no right to talk back. You shameless brat.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You, you don¡¯t think I should do that right?¡± I moved my lips loosely, holding my chin. ¡°In a situation where even bowing is not enough¡­ And have I ever asked you to thank me?¡± There was a small first aid kit next to me. Even today, Heimdahl was brought out at night. Of course, if I leave him like that today, he¡¯ll have a big problem. ¡°I know your type. A man who, if necessary, will torch the world down. There are people like you, all over this alley.¡± Every word fell into place, coldly. ¡°People who are calculating enough to put knives on their parents and children if necessary. Well, good. It¡¯s vital for survival. I¡¯m sure you thought of it as a smart way out. It¡¯s no use to try to hate you.¡± ¡°With whose permission?¡± ¡°How noisy. You can¡¯t hurt me anyway. Because you have to be treated. Because you have to live.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What do you say? The wound today is so bad that you might die if I leave you like this. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want your life to end right now.¡± Of course, I knew very well that he couldn¡¯t die here. It is only revealed in the backstory, but the blood spell flowed through Heimdahl. It¡¯s an existence called a ¡®half-monster¡¯ in this world. These are beings that the temple is extremely wary of. He also spoke of those who have power that is considered unachievable by humans. Long story short, he meant to say that he would never die. He¡¯ll get a self-healing ability when he really goes too far and reaches the end of his life. But it wasn¡¯t time yet. I let a bit too much slip as I was trembling with anger, staring at him so fiercely I could carve holes into him with my gaze. It was a bit disgusting. ¡®And he comes back with a sword in front of me when he¡¯s trying to save his life.¡¯ In a way, my healing him was just a short moment in an infinity¡¯s worth of time. He won¡¯t thank me and will completely forget when he gets his own healing ability. The relationship will disappear, as if it were never there, after some time. I liked this fine dust-like relationship. I laughed. ¡°Do you still have the strength to glare like that?¡± I said with my eyes. Now, who¡¯s the one that needs to bow down? Of course, it would have been dangerous if I hadn¡¯t treated him that day. He won¡¯t die easily, but that won¡¯t stop him from being crippled if he is too badly injured. ¡®Especially those broken arms, I think we need to fix them quickly.¡¯ In fact, it was admirable to see a man with such a messed-up arm but with a cheerful face. So this means that he was interested in his own way. Was it related to anthropology? Of course, I didn¡¯t want to see him either way, if possible, because he was so violent. I reached out to him silently. Heimdahl didn¡¯t move when I touched his wound. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°Tying you up?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 23 I calmly responded in a polite tone. ¡°You know, if left up to me, you fool of a beast would be tied up and taken care of already.¡± ¡°¡­Shut up, unless you want to die.¡± ¡°But Syrinx doesn¡¯t want to die just yet?¡± (Syrinx) The reason I kept talking like this was because I knew that it would be effective in grating on Heimdahl from the inside-out. And I think the teasing is a bonus? ¡®Just look at his expression!¡¯ ¡®What a fine frown!¡¯ I smirked. ¡°Now, think carefully. Maybe you¡¯ll blindly swing your fist around, right? And I¡¯m weak, so I¡¯ll, uh, cry.¡± Saying this, I tugged his bindings tight. ¡°And what if I cry and decide to drown you in a nearby river? Oh, my God! You¡¯re tied up like this! You won¡¯t be able to get out of the river.¡± I knew he could try to escape at any time, so I¡¯d already tied his hands together. Heimdahl did look a little ridiculous. There¡¯s never any harm in being extra cautious with this guy though. ¡°Ha, do you think I¡¯m being a total ass? I¡¯m more kind than you think.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I remember you being so incredibly kind and wielding a knife at me. Just the other day, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The blood-soaked face bent down and moved closer to me. ¡°You weren¡¯t scared anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your eyes aren¡¯t scared.¡± (Heimdahl) I blinked, his face too close for a while, but then naturally turned away. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d enjoy yourself too much if I showed any signs of being scared. Because you¡¯re a pervert, right?¡± The corners of his mouth raised, as if I could not see him, and Heimdahl replied. ¡°You¡¯re quite right.¡± There seemed to be an indescribable light within those deep red eyes. ¡®Oh my. He¡¯s still lively even if he has been tied up.¡¯ In the end, I was able to heal his wounds after making sure he was properly tied up. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± The ability to heal with jewelry involved pain, unlike magic or divine power. First I had to touch the wound with my bare hands. Then, specifically, the deeper the wound, the more painful it was, followed by cuts, stab wounds, and burns. ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± ¡°Because there are so many wounds since someone is so ignorant. Who else has been hurt this much? This is a body not worth anything.¡± I slapped him on the arm and he flinched. ¡°Be patient. If you bear with it well, I¡¯ll give you candy.¡± ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Ssh.¡± (Syrinx) I whispered and moved my fingertips to the next wound. ¡°Noona is losing her strength. So be quiet.¡± (Syrinx) (t/n : Noona means something like ¡®Older sister¡¯[not biologically, more as a form of respect] in relation to a man) ¡°Huh, who¡¯s Noo¡­¡± (Heimdahl) A groan escaped from his clenched teeth. Midnight. It was strange that even the back alleys treated a man who had been messed up like him the same. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Heimdahl exhaled and stretched his head. The blood-soaked man¡¯s form was holding back, one could tell from his aura. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± The treatment was finished. I suddenly began muttering, instead of changing the jewelry, before he realized what had happened. ¡°If you damage it so much it breaks, you may not be able to undo it.¡± ¡°Are you saying this from an experience?¡± ¡°Hm, I wonder?¡± I felt a weary gaze, but I pretended not to notice. ¡°Lift your head now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my head?¡± ¡°Do you not want me to treat your neck?¡± Heimdahl had a blistering burn on his neck. ¡°It will hurt the most.¡± Instead of exposing his neck, he swept his hair with his tied hands. His bored red eyes stared at me, trying to figure out what I was thinking. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the only one who showed up here without a story. You have your own reasons, don¡¯t you?¡± (Syrinx) Between the disorganized strands of hair, his unchanging irises stood out. ¡°People here always have an excuse like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is how the victim, or the perpetrator, is made to feel guilty.¡± He cut to the point like some sort of super-intelligent villain. His eyes were closed. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t feel the disgust of guilt.¡± Burns are among the most painful injuries that humans can suffer, but his face, which was badly burned, seemed calm. Chapter 24 For a moment I felt sorry, thinking that this must be the product of this man¡¯s abusive life. But there was really no reason to sympathize. Soon after, I looked at his face again, and immediately noticed a small change from the man. ¡°Aha. Sympathy? Really, Miss? Have you suffered such pain? Or was it someone close to you who went through it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He had such terribly unpleasant eyes now. ¡°I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not obliged to answer that.¡± ¡°Miss, I can¡¯t help but read your face.¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯d like you to focus on my face, which has gotten thinner from the treatment. Put your hands away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± My finger touched his neck. Naturally, his face got closer. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt less because it¡¯s the last one. Hang in there, kid.¡± Heimdahl didn¡¯t take his eyes off me until the end of the treatment, like a beast aiming for prey. After the treatment, I let go of him, still pretending to look calm on the outside. ¡°The treatment is over.¡± I raised both hands, and he fell in front of the door and prepared to scram. Squeak. Soon the doorknob turned and I tilted my head towards the door. Although it can be said to be the end of winter, it was cold in the back alley, without any warmth. When you exhale, you can see the condensation. ¡®It¡¯s chilly.¡¯ It was a place that depended on the dim moonlight without a single street lamp. The human body doesn¡¯t just return to normal just because it¡¯s healed. ¡®Perfect for business.¡¯ I was able to treat people, but that wouldn¡¯t solve a sudden drop in physical strength or mental fatigue. Therefore, Heimdahl must have felt the fatigue accumulated in his body. Like a man who ran for too long with his full power. ¡°Hey.¡± I caught the man, lying down, with my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice. Sleep there tied up, or¡­You have to promise me something, and I¡¯ll let you sleep in a warm place?¡± ¡°Promise you something?¡± ¡°What else would it be? Promise not to mess around.¡± Heimdahl laughed in vain. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s not going to work.¡¯ I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it.¡± His gratitude is enough even if he dislikes it. It was time to give up and go in without hesitation. ¡°I promise.¡± As I lowered my head, I could see Heimdahl sitting with difficulty. He raised his hands, tied as they were. ¡°I promise you.¡± The loose-fitting outfit discredited the credibility of his statement. ¡°¡­Wow, look at the nerve. I want to cancel the agreement.¡± ¡°Then, can I ask you politely?¡± His shirt was tattered, hair drenched with sweat, chin up, and his gaze fierce. Instead of looking like a patient, he seemed more like an indulgent prodigal son of a wealthy family. ¡°What do you want in return?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Nothing at all?¡± (Syrinx) Heimdahl frowned slightly. ¡°A favor without a reward, do you seriously expect me to believe that?¡± ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t make everyone in the world a shameless man like you, look a little pretty.¡± Even if you look at it like that, there was nothing I wanted from him. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re making an eye out for that face, aren¡¯t you? If I get paid, it becomes a relationship. I hate that kind of relationship. ¡°Well, if you really want to find a reason, let¡¯s go with this.¡± I slowly looked into the distance and scooped up something from my imaginary past. Gradually, memories flowed out of my mouth like a stream. ¡°First, I¡¯m a person who¡¯s been hurt a lot like you said.¡± I folded one of my straightened fingers. ¡°Secondly, I have two pretty younger siblings, and I can¡¯t stand to see anyone who¡¯s covered in blood since my father hit my brother in the eye in front of me. End of description.¡± Clap clap. After showing my palms, I took something from my pocket. ¡°Look at this.¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Conditions for you to come into my house?¡± Of course as it is, how can you trust a verbal promise and let things just happen? I held out my palm to him. Heimdahl stared at the jewels that had risen. ¡°Think of it as a pledge of some kind of spell as collateral, and swear on this jewel.¡± ¡°¡­ You have all sorts of tricks.¡± Chapter 25 Heimdahl did not attempt to rebe, for some reason. On the contrary, he seemed to be trying to follow along. I must have had an unexpected look on. Cough. ¡°Come on, here kid. Follow me. I¡¯ll live a good life from now on.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you spit it out properly instead of talking nonsense?¡± That didn¡¯t work. ¡°¡­Do this.¡± The jewels shed a faint white light. ¡®Tonight, if I act against the will of Syrinx, I must pay the price.¡¯ Heimdahl stared at my lips. ¡°¡­Syrinx.¡± A small mutter fell from his lips, but the words were too quiet to hear. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen.¡± Soon the light from the jewels permeated Heimdal¡¯s arms, legs, and chest. ¡°What¡¯s the price?¡± Heimdahl asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. If you break it, you¡¯ll be tied up with a chain.¡± ¡°¡ªChains?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Yeah. But if you keep your promise, it¡¯ll be fine, right?¡± I made him swear to the jewels before we entered the house. If he is caught by the oath, he can¡¯t escape it under any circumstances for a certain amount of time. ¡®I can¡¯t help but feel¡­ Uneasy about this.¡¯ Entering the house with him, I sat on one side of the low table and pointed to a corner of the room. ¡°With the desire to act within our contract, you can use that sofa today.¡± Heimdahl kept an eye on my room instead of following. I felt like he was observing. Soon he wiped the sweat off the tip of his chin with his hand. ¡°Miss, are you going up there?¡± He breathed drowsily, ¡°I¡¯d like you to stay by my side.¡± (Heimdahl) His eyes curved into a half-moon. ¡°I feel like my body is getting hot.¡± (Heimdahl) I stared at him, shaken. What kind of man has a talent for this during both the day and night? I managed to put up with this remark. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d take a good rest instead of wasting my time and talking nonsense.¡± ¡°¡­Are you going up there?¡± ¡°No? I have to work.¡± (Syrinx) I either sit on the sofa with Heimdahl breathlessly gasping over there, or ignore him and work it off. ¡°Sitting still won¡¯t result in money.¡± In fact, there are times when I can¡¯t sleep after using my treatment skills. And now was the time. ¡®Heimdahl doesn¡¯t have to know about it though.¡¯ Clink-clink. It was then. The clear sound filled our room. The bell on the door rang. This meant that there were guests. ¡°We have a customer.¡± That bell rings in a special way. The only person who taught me about this method was a regular customer and a frequent trader. I signaled to Heimdahl to stay quiet as I opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± The customer stride in. A hat covered his face and he had a long coat. As expected, he was a regular. ¡°A passenger?¡± ¡°Oh, not a guest, but company.¡± He glanced away from Heimdahl, who was stretched out on the sofa, and didn¡¯t look back. ¡°Is that so?¡± He also seemed to regard the situation as nonchalantly as he did using this place. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here in a long time, have you?¡± Visitors to the back alley store are not interested in their surroundings. He also visited because he had something to cut, so he won¡¯t care about others. In addition, I liked to use those on the quieter side as guests. ¡°Love you, sir! What can I do for you today?¡± I smiled broadly. Boom! I felt Heimdahl flinch out of the corner of my eye, but I paid him no mind. ¡°You still have such a luxury way of saying hello.¡± ¡°Do I have to change, sir? The iron rule of our store is ¡®kindness and faithfulness in my heart for eternity, like unchanging jewels.¡¯¡± As long as you¡¯re not overly serious to the guest. I received a pocket from the man with a kind smile. ¡®Huh? Are you nervous?¡¯ Why? I felt my hand shaking even though it was only a short distance. Why? ¡°Should I pay you in gold, as always?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± The man has been a business partner for quite some time. ¡°Quick, ha¡ª. I¡¯ll ask you quickly.¡± ¡°Yes? Yes, yes, yes.¡± It was also typical for me to come up with a big number every time. Chapter 26 ¡®Strange.¡¯ But I felt a reluctance in the man¡¯s pocket. It was an instinctive feeling of a man who had been here for a long time. ¡®It¡¯s supposed to be dirty and nasty to come around here.¡¯ I can¡¯t help but receive it from the position where jewelry is essential. After receiving the jewelry, I paid for it. ¡°Ha¡­¡± The man hesitated for a long time after receiving the money, and looked me in the eye for a very short time. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t say this, but¡ª¡± He swept a hand down his face. Just before it was covered by his hand, I read a fierce worry on his face. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± The man picked up the money and walked away quickly. I was unable to get a further answer. ¡®Be careful.¡¯ Not a day passes when you don¡¯t have to be careful in this wild back alley. I kept my guest¡¯s advice in my heart, looking over my head. ¡®Is the boss of a nearby organization about to change?¡¯ I thought I¡¯d find out tomorrow. I quickly grabbed the paper and scrawled something. ¡¸Will it start getting windy in District 1 soon?¡¹ It was the elite driver I picked up, the fourth one I treated. ¡®Bloody wind is blowing.¡¯ She is a former member of the Special Knights Unit, a difficult position to get into, and she is one of the people who manages the area. Because of my tough personality, I thought she was a gangster rather than a knight at first. After I saved her life, she became a person who would look after my back or give me information about various knights. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Outside.¡± I folded the note in half and called a child in the back alley to run an errand. Even though it was night, there were children everywhere in the back alley. And of course a coin would wake up and get them to move in a hurry. I turned my back and went home unhesitatingly. First, I took all my pockets and walked to the table. ¡°A cold sweaty customer. Miss, you¡¯ve had a pretty unusual visitor.¡± Looking at me sitting on the table chair was Heimdahl who had been silent, threw in a word. ¡°I know.¡± I had been wondering about the peculiar meeting, too. ¡°He was acting weird. He¡¯s not usually like that.¡± ¡°Those assumptions are always the precursor of a crisis.¡± ¡°What do you mean by saying such ominous things?¡± I let go of the sack, ignoring Heimdahl¡¯s words. ¡°More than that, what was that face just now?¡± ¡°What face?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Heimdahl didn¡¯t say anything. What¡¯s that? I looked into my pocket. ¡°Your business face is¡­ quite different.¡± ¡°Then shall I do what I usually do to you?¡± He seemed to flinch for a moment. ¡®Distracted.¡¯ I leaned on the sofa and stretched my legs straight onto the table as I counted my new amount. ¡°Is it all jewelry?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were other pockets in the pockets the customer brought. The jewelry is simply separated by size. A small jewel fell out of the first open pocket. ¡®This is a small diamond. People used to be surprised when they heard that they could buy only one small jewel. Even though they looked small, they were actually very pure jewels. ¡®It¡¯s very good quality today.¡¯ Jewelry is a product whose price is divided even with a small scratch. My job was to grade the quality here and hand it over to the auction house. Sometimes I used to do it when I was bored because I was being commissioned as a sideline. Heimdahl was still looking at me with his stiff posture and arms crossed. ¡®Somehow I feel like I invited a stray cat into my house.¡¯ A cat who sat down and acted as if all my households were theirs. No, they¡¯re more like a beast? ¡°What do you do, miss?¡± ¡°You¡¯re watching, aren¡¯t you? Jewelry.¡± ¡°Not that. Your job. Sensibility? Sales?¡± I answered roughly while touching the jewelry. ¡°Both.¡± (Syrinx) A dark blue jewel came out of the second pocket. It was a black sapphire, a very rare find. ¡°If you look at the tools, you¡¯ll see the technology as well, right?¡± Chapter 27 ¡°However, why are you suddenly asking? Are you interested in me?¡± I jokingly threw that in for fun, but an answer didn¡¯t come for a long time. After a moment, I heard a drawled out answer. It was a drowsy voice. ¡°Ah~ How could you tell?¡± When I peeked at Heimdahl, he was stretching on the sofa and watching me to the fullest. ¡°Did I get caught?¡± His eyes burned with determination. It was as if he was trying to seduce me. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, do think you could come over?¡± I blinked my eyes. ¡®I think I saw something really good just now.¡¯ That figure goes so well with the moonlight. I shook my head and looked back at the jewels. ¡°Miss, if you¡¯ve seen it, shouldn¡¯t you at least appreciate it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You like my face, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty well worth it, you know.¡± When I turned my head again, Heimdahl was biting the sleeve button with his lips. ¡°Ah, or do you like my body?¡± Chik. A button fell from his mouth. The sleeve that crept up and underneath it caught my eye without realizing it. ¡®Get a hold of yourself.¡¯ There was no reason to move forward just because Heimdahl was doing something strange. I quickly snapped back to look at the jewelry. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me. I have to finish this today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what a trustworthy head of family would say.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re gonna learn a lesson?¡± ¡°Do you like that? If you¡¯d like a spouse who cuts people, too.¡± Let¡¯s just not talk. I purposely lifted the jewelry I was holding toward the ceiling. ¡®This is pretty high-purity?¡¯ The jewel with black spots was a black sapphire that came out very occasionally. The blue sapphire-like, or even more valuable, jewel. I raised my hand and looked up at the jewel. It lit up in my mind, shining instead of the lamp. I could see the inside of the jewel. I soon narrowed my eyes. Soon after, a smile came to my lips. ¡®Found it.¡¯ The moment I saw the dark blue energy overflowing in the jewelry, I smiled back. It was what I was looking for, which probably wouldn¡¯t be visible to the eyes of ordinary people. A jewel with a special power to carry a mana or a spirit. ¡®I was lucky. I can¡¯t believe I found it right away.¡¯ It has been my ability since I was very young to pick this kind of thing out. Everyone in my family could have done it, but now I¡¯m the only one. At the same time, it was an ability that made my life spectacular. Time sure has slipped along. As the night went by, the jewels in the pouch were divided one by one, and soon the bottom was visible. ¡°This is the last one.¡± As I touched the ninth dark blue jewel that I had just found, I drew a smooth smile, and I felt a sharp look. When I turned my head, Heimdal was motionlessly looking at me. ¡®Huh, he¡¯s still doing that?¡¯ Maybe he hadn¡¯t even moved from that position. ¡®You must be tired.¡¯ Sure enough, although I¡¯d treated him, he already showed signs of exhaustion everywhere. No dagger fell from his stomach. It was as if he would stand at any time. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you close your eyes?¡± Instead of closing his eyes, he purposely said without looking at her. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it on my own.¡± Respecting his decision, I averted my eyes and somehow ended up staring at the glasses on the table. A while ago, not during the treatment, the man took good care of the glasses that fell on the floor. However, even his expression of holding something precious could not hide the coldness and indifference in his gestures. ¡®You take good care of your things.¡¯ It was amazing that a man as carefree and willful as he can want to take care of something. However, after reading the book, I knew what those ¡°glasses¡± meant to the villain in the book. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in advance, but if you don¡¯t sleep, it¡¯s your loss.¡± (Syrinx) I removed my gaze completely away from Heimdahl. Then, I opened the remaining pockets, one by one, to sort the jewelry. Chapter 28 Sadly, except for the second pocket, there was no special jewel I was looking for. It wasn¡¯t easy to find. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve settled in this place where all kinds of jewels roll in. And then I opened the last pocket. Heimdahl jumped up from his seat. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± (Syrinx) I looked at him, puzzled, and looked down. And then I paused. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Inside the last pocket, there weren¡¯t jewels but finished ornaments. I jumped out of my seat as soon as I saw this ¡®necklace¡¯. The necklace was sprinkled with black diamonds and was studded with giant black pearls. Heimdahl wasn¡¯t surprised to see me standing up. It was as if he had expected this. ¡°Miss.¡± Heimdahl threw a dagger lightly and stared at me. ¡°¡ªThis house, it looks like it¡¯s about to be surrounded.¡± Heimdahl¡¯s big eyes were asking for an explanation. Only then did I know why he woke up. I smirked. ¡®Is this what the customer told me to be careful with?¡¯ I rolled up the curtains and looked over the window. It disappeared quickly, but I saw a blue collar. ¡®There are some big-ass men here.¡¯ I slowly looked away to try not to laugh. ¡°Do you see this? It¡¯s stolen goods.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°¡­stolen goods?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Uh. That¡¯s the jewel the whole empire is looking for right now.¡± (Syrinx) I twisted my lips while answering. There was a strange excitement and tension. ¡°It¡¯s probably the Knights who have come outside to protect this area.¡± (Syrinx) Most of them are heavy-handed people who never move. ¡°The stolen goods move when they become treasures of a great family.¡± If you want to move a knight here, you need to be a count. It also has to be a high-ranking count who is connected to the imperial family. ¡°Soon, whether it¡¯s a royal knight or an aristocrat¡¯s private one, we¡¯ll have a close investigation.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good situation.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± (Syrinx) I nodded my head. ¡°Congratulations.¡± How did I end up being watched? I stared at the window with a smile. ¡°This is the worst thing an illegal jeweler can experience.¡± (Syrinx) From a certain perspective, this was a terrible crisis. But I was calm. I heard the tell-tale sound of something falling into a well-drained trap and the sound of moving cogs that accompanied an exquisitely timed plan. ¡°This is a rather precarious situation. I¡¯m in danger of being captured alongside you.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Rather than me, maybe the reason is the item in your hand. What the hell is that?¡± (Heimdahl) Heimdahl stared at my hand. There was no time to explain. I walked forward and grabbed Heimdahl¡¯s hand. ¡°First, come with me.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°To where?¡± (Heimdahl) I held Heimdahl¡¯s hand while he held a dagger. My thoughts briefly went astray, but I realized that this wasn¡¯t the time to flirt. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be dragged into custody by the Knights, do you?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you want to screw it up, stay there.¡± (Syrinx) Heimdahl was either staying here, or he¡¯s coming with me. He murmured something and quickly packed his belongings. I knew his current situation. Before part two began, he was in a sorry state before the family was rebuilt. It is difficult to show one¡¯s face to the royal knights. ¡®In the first place, the situation had to have been pretty desperate for anyone to come to this back alley to gain strength anyway.¡¯ His situation will change soon, but not yet. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea to leave, but why don¡¯t you tell me our destination?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°There are three entrances to the building I live in.¡± (Syrinx) One is the current gate where Heimdahl was abandoned. The other is the back door that connects to the kitchen. And the other one was the secret door. ¡°We¡¯re going to the secret door among them.¡± ¡°To go outside?¡± ¡°No.¡± I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a building in this back alley that doesn¡¯t have a secret passage. Just as people with cuts live in places, so did my house. ¡°Ta-da~ My secret door connects with the place next door. Isn¡¯t that cool? My door was connected to the building right next door, Andrew¡¯s bar. The passage was so covertly hidden that those who would soon enter our house would never know. Chapter 29 ¡°Oh hey, Syrinx.¡± (Andrew) Andrew waved his hand. ¡°Is something going on?¡± (Andrew) He asked calmly. ¡°Always.¡± I waved at Andrew carelessly and went across the hallway behind the shop. ¡°Do you have any food?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°A little bit of bread crust and a few potatoes?¡± (Andrew) ¡°Give me that.¡± (Syrinx) I said so and threw a jewel in my pocket. Andrew gave me a small envelope with a cheesy and screaming face. ¡°Do you need any information?¡± ¡°No. I need to go right now.¡± ¡°Okay, then the payment is the same. I¡¯ll give you a lot of special services!¡± Heimdahl frowned at Andrew¡¯s behavior, but there was no time to explain. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t look to be doing so good. Are you serious?¡± (Andrew) ¡°Yeah, a little.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Uh¡­¡± (Andrew) Andrew scratched his cheek. ¡°Well, I hope you survive this time as well.¡± (Andrew) ¡°Yes, wish me luck as always.¡± (Syrinx) He cautiously added that he would be sad if a good neighbor disappeared. My face warmed up slightly, and I smiled. ¡°Oh, if you fail and I find your cold corpse, I¡¯m going to blame that brat, Thorce. Definitely¡± ¡°¡­Aigoo..¡± Andrew groaned sadly, but he wasn¡¯t told he would. ¡°Syrinx, is this about¡­.a business trip you¡¯ve been on before?¡± (Andrew) ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be wary. I won¡¯t reveal this even if you¡¯re dead.¡± (Andrew) ¡°That¡¯s even worse.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Hahaha¡ª¡± (Andrew) This is where I take care of my own life. ¡°I can¡¯t help you, but¡­ I¡¯ll tell you something useful.¡± (Andrew) Andrew¡¯s house and the passage that followed were also means of paying him a fortune. He was a merchant for money. ¡°If you¡¯re out of district 1, walk straight in the 8 o¡¯clock direction. Don¡¯t bend.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± That was pretty good advice, coming from Andrew. I left his shop after hearing the last advice. Heimdahl was right behind me. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± (Heimdahl) As I walked for a while, his long legs blocked me in the dark. Heimdahl, who stopped me, lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear an explanation, Miss.¡± (Heimdahl) I looked up at that face in the shadow. It was unexpected. ¡®I thought he¡¯d leave as soon as I left Andrew¡¯s bar.¡¯ However, when I saw the sweat on his chin, I immediately understood. His body needs more rest after the treatment. He chose me to survive. I turned my head away quickly. ¡°Miss.¡± (Heimdahl) The entire time, he narrowed his eyes and pleaded with a soft, low voice. ¡°To escape a dangerous situation is wise, but don¡¯t you think we should know why we¡¯re escaping in the first place?¡± (Heimdahl) A snake-like hand went down to my wrist and twisted together with my fingers. ¡°I might eat this ruthless lady who wouldn¡¯t sate my curiosity, right here.¡± (Heimdahl) He uttered the threat so softly that I thought I misheard him. However, when he looked up, his red eyes were very eye-catching. ¡°As I said, stolen goods.¡± (Syrinx) I swallowed my breath quietly so that I wouldn¡¯t get caught. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the problem. It isn¡¯t everyday that I see someone who does illegal things like you, miss.¡± (Heimdahl) He tilted his head. ¡°You seem unable to help yourself from handling stolen goods.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Yes, if someone hadn¡¯t set a trap and given it to me.¡± (Syrinx) I sighed lightly. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s normal for the Knights of the district, the aristocracies¡¯ private ones, and the Imperial Knights, to come running all of a sudden?¡± (Heimdahl) The hand in my pocket contains the necklace called ¡°Tears of Athlot.¡± This necklace is a hot commodity. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± This necklace was a famous item that everyone in my country knew the moment they heard about it. ¡°Retailers usually have a hard time handling famous items because they would become heavily targeted.¡± ¡®It¡¯s obvious who did this.¡¯ To be honest, for traps like this one, I don¡¯t know what will happen unless I, myself, knowingly spring the trap. People like us have to move without asking if the advance payment is correct. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a place without morals?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Morals? In the back alley? Then, are we being chased because we have morals?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sarcastic¡­ Okay, I understand.¡± (Syrinx) Chapter 30 I raised my hand and shook the pocket in my grasp. It was the hand that Heimdahl was holding. ¡°This is ¡®Athlot¡¯s Tears¡¯. You know what this item is, right? If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re probably a spy who snuck in.¡± (Syrinx) A pearl the size of about half my fist is wrapped in a black diamond that is half a fingertip wide. It contains more than 120 years of detailed history and was used as a grand wedding gift when the emperor¡¯s sister married Count Amanti eight years ago. ¡°¡ªThe jewels used at the wedding of Count Amanti?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s also a jewel of my own people, who¡¯ve become famous ever since,¡± I explained calmly. ¡°And not long ago, Count Amanti¡¯s family treasure disappeared. It¡¯s a massive debacle.¡± (Syrinx) Anyone who has touched jewelry, whether it was legally or illegally, would know. ¡°There¡¯s an ongoing trial about it. The Amanti Knights living in this city; this is where all the black money comes together.¡± Big things that will undoubtedly make a big splash if they¡¯re publicized gather here for secrecy. It was common knowledge. And if Count Amanti can make the Creixos city¡¯s butt-heavy lord move¡­ ¡°The man who delivers my regular jewel shipments is too much of a coward to have done this kind of dangerous thing.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good chance he¡¯s been threatened?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± (Syrinx) *** I¡¯ve been drifting aimlessly here for more than a few years, and usually I picked mainly for fearful and cautious humans. ¡°I hate to die, but it¡¯s a gift from the guy who finally got the targeted object.¡± It is ¡®the blessing of the shadow¡¯. The guild with the Thorce guy. ¡°The one you beat before.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°There are too many people I have beaten.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°I don¡¯t want to know your stupid everyday life like this, but the person who you kicked out when we first met.¡± Heimdahl nodded roughly and said, ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Is that the one who looks like a catfish?¡± Sometimes, when washing large stolen goods, a scarecrow is needed to turn the scales in our favor. This is called ¡®throwing¡¯. And the recipient is called a ¡®bait¡¯. After throwing it away, while the bait investigation continues, the stolen goods are pulled back and even the teeth are overturned on the bait. ¡°Do you understand this?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°I understand that you were beaten hard, miss.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Oh, damn it. That¡¯s correct.¡± (Syrinx) Heimdahl raised his lips as if he were having fun. ¡°Is this a market betrayed by customers? It¡¯s a familiar market.¡± His eyes were not smiling at all. Reminds you of the old days, huh? His past was drenched in betrayal, starting with his parents. Tuk. I looked at the sweat dripping from the end of his chin as he shook his head. ¡®Actually, we¡¯re not in a relationship that will wipe the sweat off each other.¡¯ ¡°But why aren¡¯t you going back?¡± (Syrinx) I roughly guessed the reason, but I still asked. ¡°Miss, the first time you got up from your seat, you held eye contact with someone.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°Did you see that?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Yeah, and with this body, you can¡¯t go far. You were probably trying to escape to a safe place, weren¡¯t you?¡± (Heimdahl) It¡¯s an accurate judgment. Heimdahl slowly tilted his upper body. ¡°Take me.¡± (Heimdahl) A breathless face suddenly approached. The glowing face gave such a strange feeling. ¡°Since you picked me up, you should definitely take responsibility.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°I¡¯ve never promised anything, how astonishing. Are you aware of your impudence?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard it all my life.¡± (Heimdahl) Even the glazed and watery eyes are weird. Instead of avoiding his close-up face, I stared straight into his red eyes. I raised my hand with a slight smile. ¡°You look prettier with less energy.¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°¡­.What?¡± And at that moment, the distance between me and Heimdahl shortened. I whispered lightly to Heimdahl. ¡°Poor thing. I wish I could remember you relying on my nosiness and being this much better.¡± I closed my eyes and fell. ¡°Don¡¯t fall down, follow me. If you fall, I will throw it away.¡± How pretty. The way Heimdahl stopped smiling was even prettier. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you.¡± Chapter 31 Feigning strength, I pretended not to notice my trembling hand. Soon he said with a bloody smile: ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to screw you.¡± I stroked my neck with my hand. ¡°Follow me if you want to. I¡¯ll take you somewhere special.¡± I moved myself quickly. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°District 2.¡± It was a short walk from here. If my place is where illegal small stores are gathered, I am currently going to the second district where a huge organization gathered, and among them, there are three men dressed in black, and I swallowed my breath. ¡®Those clothes¡­¡¯ The pattern at the end of the sleeves symbolize the ¡°Blessing of the Shadow¡± that has now been smeared. ¡°Captain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Take care of it.¡± Like an assassin, the men didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary. I bit my lips as I saw the glare of a blade in the moonlight. Of course, it wasn¡¯t hard to deal with them. ¡®¡­¡­¡­I need to be as quiet as I can be.¡¯ These Creixos back allies are intertwined like spider webs. However, the paths that can be traversed are limited. I ran out of time. There was a high possibility that all the alleyway exits would be blocked. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I opened my eyes and shook my hand. ¡°Can you fight?¡± I felt the men¡¯s nervousness when the jewels shone in my hands. No answer came from Heimdahl. I didn¡¯t ask any more and called out a little wind. ¡°Viento!¡± One of the disadvantages of my spell was that it was difficult to handle it quietly. In the moment the men, pushed by the wind, covered their faces: ¡°Miss, put your head down!¡± ¡°What? Wait, ugh!¡± When I turned my head I noticed the shadow of a human, who was passing by roughly. Whoo! Heimdahl was already pulling a sword from one person. He swung his arms quickly and made a half turn. Flap. An assassin was seen running away from the side. Puk. However, the man collapsed because he couldn¡¯t get far due to the dagger in his back. Heimdahl stared at me, wiping off sweat drops with the back of his hand. He whispered, ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t take responsibility for me, I¡¯ll be in trouble, miss.¡± Tuk tuk. A red blood drop fell from the tip of the knife. Heimdahl has a noticeable white complexion. However, he turned his head and looked at the enemy chillingly. His gaze seemed to be calculating every movement. ¡°¨CYou¡¯re already doing that.¡± This man is accompanying me only for survival and out of interest. His scrutinizing, hawk-like eyes have been observing for a while. I wonder what he might be thinking with that extraordinary mind of his. ¡°If you know, I want you to show more sincerity.¡± Heimdahl was a madman stained in madness, but he was a scary human being who was also rational and did not care about the means. It¡¯s not as if I was being treated with my arms tied. ¡°¡­.Walk fast. We¡¯re getting out of here.¡± (Syrinx) As I walked past him, slow footsteps soon followed. The jewel floating to the side proved to be on the guard for him without relaxing. ¡®The number of jewels should be possible.¡¯ The fatal disadvantage of my spell was that it was limited to the amount of jewelry I carried. ¡®There¡¯s no secret to casting spells.¡¯ Fortunately, they didn¡¯t meet any more assassins after the three. ¡°It¡¯s this way. That¡¯s District 2.¡± (Syrinx) After a while, we arrived at the center of District 2. As long as I¡¯m here, it was okay to be somewhat relaxed. ¡°It¡¯s bright.¡± It was the only street with street lights in Creixos Alley. It is a place where people who obtain some money live in the back alley. ¡°Have we arrived?¡± ¡°A little further.¡± Money meant power. Therefore, it was a place where those in power, who had the yolk in their hands, fiercely fought over the interests. ¡°You can relax a little from here. It¡¯s relatively safe.¡± ¡°Criteria?¡± ¡°Of course compared to District 1 where we were.¡± Of course, I shouldn¡¯t let go of my tension completely, but there was a reason to believe. I strutted away my cautious steps. Chapter 32 After walking a little longer like that, I turned my back to make a sound. ¡°Help me.¡± His breath, which had become noticeably rough, had been bothering me. ¡°I¡¯m running out of breath.¡± Considering the fact that he¡¯s an intensive care patient who should be resting, I¡¯ll take responsibility for him. ¡°Have you been watching?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t watch it, I heard it.¡± ¡°Since when have you cared about my breathing? Don¡¯t you care about anything else?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that you have time to joke around.¡± It¡¯s not just that he filled a hole in his body and recovered his broken arm. The body, which recovered rapidly from the spell, needed time to adapt to change and the accompanying fatigue. However, I couldn¡¯t see what he was thinking when his eyes were falling like a knife. ¡°What are you looking at with such perverted eyes? If you help me, will you do something wrong?¡± (Syrinx) ¡°What if I do?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°I¡¯ll scream, Kyaa pervert!¡± (Syrinx) ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Naughty boy, behave well if you don¡¯t want to be chained up.¡± (Syrinx) Heimdahl laughed in vain at me, who calmly spoke. He soon pulled up his lips slowly. Then he murmured softly. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re a person of no match.¡± (Heimdahl) I grabbed him by the arm instead of answering. I flinched more than I thought, but it was only for a while. ¡°Miss, can I pay my debts gradually?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°I don¡¯t accept installments. If you¡¯re saying thank you, do it now, and if it¡¯s a reimbursement, that¡¯s enough.¡± Oh. Then I grabbed him by the face as if I had forgotten and made him look forward. ¡°We¡¯re busy. Look ahead, kid.¡± (Syrinx) It was said to be of help, but I was very nervous because I was close to being hugged by him. So I led Heimdahl to the front of a building. The entire building was navy blue and unusual in structure. ¡°Here.¡± (Syrinx) From the entrance, they had a unique atmosphere that belonged to the Gothic style. I came over and over again, but it was an unrenovated building. ¡°¡­¡­is it really here?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°It is.¡± (Syrinx) Heimdahl also had a strange look on his face, perhaps not so different from me. ¡°Is it a building made for you to go in?¡± (Heimdahl) ¡°¨CThe owner¡¯s preference is a bit like that.¡± (Syrinx) Those who were guarding the entrance looked at me and stepped aside. They who guarded the entrance were men who looked alike. Some of them looked at me and said hello. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°Yes, how are you?¡± (Syrinx) As I entered the hallway, a man who seemed to be a mercenary looked at me and guided me quietly. ¡°This way.¡± Along the way, I saw antiques that didn¡¯t fit the building¡¯s aesthetic and dark-looking armor. I wondered if a ghost house would look like this. This was also the taste of the owner who lived here. The sense of grandeur from the entrance exerted its own pressure. ¡°Although the atmosphere is like this, bear with it a little. Since this is an important place, it is better to give a feeling of pressure from the entrance, is what the owner of this place said.¡± (Syrinx) ¡°Owner?¡± (Heimdahl) I elaborated some more. ¡°This is a private loan business.¡± (Heimdahl) Before Heimdahl could say anything else, the guide stopped. *** ¡°She¡¯s waiting.¡± ¡°Haha, the news spreads fast.¡± At the end of the velvet hallway, a large door opened wide without a sound. The owner of the room slowly removed the long pipe he had in his mouth. ¡°Come on in.¡± When Heimdahl and I came in, the door closed behind us. The office was decorated too luxuriously to be described as a back alley building. But there¡¯s something that I knew. The owner of this place is a personage with no difficulty in owning hundreds of mansions all as opulently decorated as this office. When the owner crossed her legs, long and graceful limbs were revealed. She was dressed in comfortable clothes, and a brush swept and pinned up her hair. Like an overindulgent drug-user, her complexion was pale and chalky, but her eyes shone with a bright light. ¡°Long time no see, baby.¡± Lintella Dulcinez, the loan shark. The second person I picked up and treated here. The Lord of the District 2. Chapter 33 And the best part of this area was this Lady¡¯s place. ¡°We¡¯re here to see the golden ruler of District 2.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything extravagant. You¡¯re not here for that, are you?¡± Unlike her pale face, her hair was vibrant and full of life. The red hair that matched the night was beautifully curled to frame her face. ¡°I¡¯m just a boss playing with money.¡± The tear-shaped marks under her long eyes highlighted the charm of other countries and those of mixed-race. This woman, who looked like a tired and stubborn woman without a pipe, was one of the major parties that moved mass quantities of money in the back alley. ¡°Yes, why did you find me?¡± Lintella breathed in tobacco effortlessly. The smoke she exhaled curled into graceful ribands that embraced every curve and inch of her body. I didn¡¯t bat an eye at the thick smoke, waiting for her to inhale once more. Lintella had an unusual habit of not deigning to speak with a person who spoke before she did it twice. But I understood her. Those who saw this scene would find it difficult to understand, if they were ordinary people. ¡°Hey, I think you already know the reason, so why do you think I came to see you?¡± I crossed my legs with my hands neatly gathered. My eyes were curved gently. ¡°As you¡¯ve already guessed that I¡¯ll be arriving, it should be easy for you to know my motive, right?¡± It is not a job that prioritizes information, but for Lintella, loans and the distribution and collection of money had its own particular information network. Many of her clients¡¯ debtors must be informants. ¡°Yes, I know. You¡¯re such a lovely baby. But¡ª¡± Lintella languidly removed her pipe and blew a steady stream of smoke into the cloud above our heads. Her dark green eyes rolled slowly toward me. ¡°When did you have a wonderful boyfriend?¡± ¡°Do you want it?¡± Lintella¡¯s lips drew into a deep line at my words. ¡°That¡¯s a rare prize.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± I didn¡¯t know Lintella¡¯s lips would come down. ¡®That looks like you liked it.¡¯ One of the things that Lintella and I had in common was our eye for beauty. ¡°No, Ms. Lintella. I¡­ already claimed this one.¡± I took Heimdahl¡¯s hand and put it on my lap. ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± No way. If you swallow it, it will burn. The negative consequences of claiming this person are endless. I could feel Heimdahl looking at me. His persistent gaze felt nearly tangible. It was fortunate that I didn¡¯t sweat cold. When I glanced sideways, I could see the upwards curl of his lower lip. Heimdahl tilted his head, seemingly relaxed and unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s already sold. Unfortunately.¡± ¡®Are you trying to keep up with the rhythm?¡¯ However, why does this relaxed appearance make me feel uncomfortable? I decided to get to the point quickly, trying to erase his appearance. I put the pocket on the table before Lintella. ¡°You know what this is, right?¡± ¡°Well, what is it?¡± She knew what I referred to. I smiled at Lintella, who pretended to be innocent, and opened the pocket without hesitation. Lintella didn¡¯t change her expression even after seeing ¡°Athlot¡¯s Tears¡± in her pocket. ¡®As expected, she knew it.¡¯ I was sure when I saw her. Then this conversation will be quick. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you straightforwardly. This one suddenly arrived at our store. Is it related to you, Lintella?¡± ¡°Oh, baby. You¡¯ve become bait for something great while you¡¯ve never seen it.¡± Lintella tapped the pipe and smoldering, aromatic debris dropped into the ashtray. ¡°It has nothing to do with me.¡± I swallowed and held my breath. In fact, I waited for this. What happened behind the scenes was important. In the meantime, Lintella took a long drag of her pipe again. ¡°But it¡¯s fun.¡± Her voice, which had always been considered leisurely, changed for a moment. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be worried that the lord of District 2 has a pest who¡¯s messing with my, Lintella¡¯s, benefactor?¡± (t/n : I¡¯m not really sure about this.) Anger was heard in the calm voice. Lintella Dulcinez, the woman who controls the dirty money in the back alley was famous for not missing out on her obsession once. It was the same for me who accidentally saved her life. She was more suitable than anyone for a loan shark who collected money by any means.